Unbreakable
by Fire and Ash
Summary: "I always wished I had a dad," she admitted quietly, staring up at the stars. "I guess I should have been careful what I wished for. Adam and my mom would still be alive if we had never met John Winchester." "I'm... sorry." Deep blue eyes met hers and a large, warm hand closed around her smaller one. "For everything you've been through." (Future Castiel/OFC)
1. Prologue

_**October 16th, 2002**_

_**Windom, Minnesota **_

It was a reasonably normal day in the Milligan household. Kate Milligan's son and daughter—Adam and Bethany—were in the living room, arguing with one another—yet again. Though this time, Adam thought it would be funny to hide Beth's book and then sit on her when she attempted to distract him.

"Mom!" Beth whined, struggling against her twin brother. "Adam's sitting on me again!"

"She was trying to distract me," Adam argued. He kept his eyes locked on the video game.

"Because you hid my book again!"

"Will you two stop arguing for five minutes?" Kate Milligan begged as she appeared in the living room, a basket of clean laundry perched against her hip.

"Sorry mom," they mumbled in unison. They both knew how hard their mom worked to support the three of them and she did it without any help from their dad... not that they knew who he was or if he even knew they existed.

"Now, Beth, stop distracting Adam." Kate set the basket down and began folding the laundry. "Adam, get off your sister and give her her book back."

"It's in the fridge," Adam told Beth as he shifted off of her legs. "Hidden behind the milk."

"Why did you put it in the fridge?" she demanded.

"I knew you wouldn't look there," he shrugged and turned back to his game.

Beth let out a loud sigh, dragging her feet as she headed for the kitchen and opened the fridge, pushing the milk aside to grab her copy of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. The pages felt slightly chilled against her fingers as she walked back through the house and onto the front porch, settling down on the porch swing and opening it to her marked page.

Sometimes Beth wondered what it would be like if her dad was actually around. Would they do what every other family seemed to do? Would they go out for dinner every Wednesday night? Would they have picnics at the weekend? Would they argue about whose turn it was to do chores?

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of an engine approaching the house. Her brown eyes watched the black, '67 Chevy Impala curiously as it stopped abruptly and a tall man with dark hair stepped out after a few minutes. The stranger's leather jacket covered a plain, dark green t-shirt and a black flannel shirt, the bottom of his jeans were tucked into his thick army boots.

"Hey kid, this your house?" he asked, voice gruff.

"Uh yeah, it is," she nodded slowly.

"Does Kate Milligan still live here?"

"Yeah. She's inside doing laundry." Beth closed her book standing up and stepping towards him. "What do you want with my mom?"

"She's an old friend," he shrugged, making his way onto the porch.

"What's your name?" Beth positioned herself in front of the door, refusing to let him inside.

"Bert Aframian," he said, assessing her through narrowed eyes.

"Liar," she countered and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Am I now?"

"Yes, you are. Your hand twitched when you said your 'name'," she explained, grinning smugly and offered him a shrug. "I'm _very_ good at reading people."

"You're also very cocky," he retorted, though he struggled to restrain a smirk. The kid kind of reminded him of his eldest son.

"Eh, thanks for the compliment." Beth readjusted her grip on her book. "So, you gonna tell me your real name? Or do I have to get my mom to call the cops?"

* * *

><p>Adam pressed pause on his game, looking towards the window curiously at the sound of his sister's voice. He frowned, wondering who his twin could be talking to. He stood up and walked over to the window, peeking out to find a tall, dark haired male towering over his sister as they spoke quietly to each other.<p>

"Mom, who's Beth talking to?" he asked, glancing back towards his mom.

"What?" Kate's eyes widened in worry.

"There's a man outside talking to Beth," he repeated and his mom rushed over to the window.

"Adam, stay inside," Kate grabbed Adam's baseball bat from beside the door and opened it slowly.

"Mom." Beth tilted her head back to look at Kate.

"Beth, are you okay?" Kate questioned, stepping cautiously onto the porch and glancing between her daughter and the suddenly all-too-familiar man. "J-John? John Winchester?"

"Hello Kate," John greeted, smiling at the blonde woman.

"Mom? Who is he?" Beth asked curiously, glancing between the two adults.

"Bethany, take Adam and go to your rooms," Kate ordered.

"But I-"

"_Now_, Bethany," Kate barked, shoving the bat into Beth's hands and pushing her back into the house.

"Fine," she grumbled. Her eyes flickered back to John once before she grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him up the stairs after her, but not before he caught a glimpse of the dark haired man.

"Who is he?" Adam whispered. He pried his bat from Beth.

"Beats me," she shrugged as the front door slammed shut and their mom led John into the kitchen.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Three hours later)<strong>_

"Adam, how much longer?" Beth demanded, laying on her stomach on his bed.

"I don't know," he shrugged with a frown.

"It's been three hours. Three_ long _hours." She nudged him with her foot. "I'm bored."

"Go see what they're doing then." Adam slapped her hand roughly as she tried to poke him again.

"What will I get in return?"

"My new batman comic," he offered.

"...It's a deal then." She shook his hand before rolling off of the bed and sneaking down the stairs. She avoided the last step, knowing it would squeak if too much pressure was applied to it.

Beth stopped beside the kitchen door, crouching down and using the shadows to cover her. Straining her hearing, she managed to catch a few words of their conversation. Her mom was telling John about the stuff that Beth and Adam had done over the years, such as Beth's talent at dancing and Adam being interested in becoming a doctor. She was so wrapped up in listening to the sound of John's voice as he said something in response to her mom that she hadn't realised the kitchen had gone silent.

"Bethany Lyla Milligan," Kate scolded, hands resting on her hips as she stared down at her daughter, disapproval on her face. "What have I told you about eavesdropping."

"To do it?" she offered cheekily, sending a grin at her mom.

"Just get your brother down here, there's something I have to tell you both," Kate sighed, deciding to let it slid for the time being.

"Adam!" Beth yelled and moments later her brother appeared, his shoes thudding heavily against the wooden floorboard.

"It was her idea," he said immediately, an innocent smile on his face.

"Was not," Beth argued.

"Yes it was."

"D'they always argue like this?" John questioned. He was leaning against the door frame, watching them in amusement.

"More or less," Adam and Beth said in unison.

"Come on," Kate interrupted and wrapped her arms around their shoulders.

"What did you want to tell us?"

"Well... I explained everything to John, so I think it's only fair that you two should know as well."

Beth glanced at her brother, sharing a worried look before two sets of eyes snapped back to their mom. John was silent, watching the trio with interest.

"Adam, Beth... John's your father," Kate admitted nervously.

Beth's jaw dropped, staring between her mom and her supposed 'father' in pure shock. She could tell without looking that Adam had reacted the same. Anger erupted inside of her, filling her and causing her to clench her fists tightly on the table.

"So you lied?" she asked finally, swallowing deeply. "When you said you had _no idea _who our dad was, you were lying this whole time?"

"Beth, I know you're upset but let me exp-" Kate was cut off as Beth stood up angrily, knocking her chair to the floor.

"No! I can't believe you! I thought you would've at least told us his name or that he was actually alive," she yelled before turning to John. "I haven't had a dad for 12 years and I certainly don't need one now."

"Don't talk to your mom like that," John ordered, a hint of warning in his tone.

Beth glared at John before turning on her heel, fleeing for the staircase and darting upstairs to her room. The door slammed loudly as John glanced at Adam, setting a comforting hand on Kate's shoulder.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us," was all Adam said before, he too, rushed upstairs, heading straight to his sister's room to comfort her.

Beth had thought it would've been different than this, that when she finally got to meet her dad, she would've been happy and eager to spend time with him. She didn't expect to feel nothing but anger towards both of her parents. For 12 long years, Kate had sworn to them that she didn't know who their dad was, that he had just been passing through town, and had never given her a name, but seeing the way the two adults had acted towards the other, they knew each other very well. Beth knew that she wouldn't forgive them for a long time, she was stubborn that way.

After all, stubbornness _was_ a Winchester family trait.


	2. Bonding with John

**_(Three days later)_**

It had taken Beth two days to even consider talking to her mom again and three days to be convinced to go out for the afternoon with her brother and John. It was really all thanks to her twin that she was currently following John as he led them through a very busy car park to a diner in the centre of town.

"Why are we doing this again?" Beth grumbled, trekking after John and her brother.

"Because mom asked us to," Adam replied. "And because he said he wasn't going anywhere until we do."

"Hurry up, you two." John looked back over his shoulder at them.

"We're coming," she huffed and stuck her tongue out when he turned away.

"You are determined to make this difficult, aren't you?" Adam grinned.

"Of course. Did you expect anything else?" she questioned mockingly.

Adam tapped his chin, pretending to be deep in thought as he messed her hair up with his free hand. "Hmm, no, I don't think I did."

"Dick," Beth insulted with a smirk and tossed her arm around his shoulders.

"Brat." She dodged as Adam attempted to punch her arm.

"Come on!" John called to them, holding the door open.

"I don't like this," Beth whispered before hurrying forward and ducking under John's arm.

"Neither do I," Adam agreed under his breath. He quickened his pace and followed Beth towards their usual booth at the back of the diner.

"So, I take it you come here often?" John asked as the young waitress Jenny smiled at Adam and Beth and ruffled their hair.

"We're regulars," Beth answered flatly.

"We've been coming here since we were five," Adam said in a more polite tone. He glanced down at his menu before deciding on his usual order of a glass of Dr Pepper and a cheese burger. "You should try the cheese burger, it's amazing."

"It really is," Beth nodded. She turned to grin up at Jenny as the blonde stopped beside them with a notepad in her hands. "Hey Jenny."

"Hey sweetie," Jenny beamed. "How's your mom doing?"

"She's fine, she's gonna be working late tonight," Adam input, handing his menu to her.

"Yeah, so she chose _him_ to babysit us." Beth jerked her thumb at John.

"Oh, and who are you?" Jenny raised an eyebrow at the dark haired man. She knew that if Beth held bitter feelings towards someone, it was for a good reason.

"I'm John. Their dad," he replied reluctantly.

"Unfortunately," Beth mumbled and received a slap around the head from Adam.

"Well... it's nice to meet you, John," Jenny said hesitantly as she sent a pitying look at the twins. "Are you ready to order?"

"We'll have our usual," Adam answered for both himself and Beth as he shrugged his jacket off and folded it, setting it on the seat beside him.

"And I'll have a cup of coffee, black, and a cheese burger," John requested.

"I'll be back in a minute with your drinks." Jenny turned on her heel and headed for the kitchen.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Beth excused herself from the booth and disappeared through a door a few feet away.

John sighed, knowing it was going to be difficult getting Beth to open up to him or even talk to him civilly without being sarcastic or just plain rude.

* * *

><p>"Does your sister always act like this towards people?" John asked, striking up a conversation with Adam.<p>

"Just people who piss her off," Adam shrugged casually. "You're lucky she's even talking to you right now. The last time someone made her mad, she kicked them and didn't speak for two weeks."

"I'm guessing that person was you?" John caught the way his youngest child flinched, as if caught up in a bad memory.

"Oh yeah. I threw her book out of the window, so she kicked me." Adam sipped at his glass of Dr Pepper, waiting for Beth to reappear. "Mom grounded her for the two weeks that she was mute."

"When will she start being civil to me?"

"Well... she's been like this for three days... I would say you've got two more days before she's back to her usual self." A wide smirk crossed Adam's face. "Though I'm not sure if her usual self will be any easier to get along with."

"What are you two losers talking about?" Beth slipped back into the booth beside Adam.

"How much of a nightmare you really are," he teased.

"Oh yeah, I'll make your life a living hell," she nodded, playing along. John chuckled under his breath, he couldn't help but compare Beth and Adam to Sam and Dean, the two sets of siblings teased each other relentlessly but they were also fiercely protective of one another.

Jenny appeared moments later, setting their plates in front of them with a wide smile before turning around and heading over to another table to collect empty glasses and dirty dishes.

"So, Beth... your mom tells me you like dancing," John started as he gulped a mouthful of coffee.

"Oh, yeah. I've been doing it since I was six. I have a class I go to every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday," she replied after swallowing the large bite of her burger.

"And you're interested in comic books?" He turned to Adam.

"And video games," Adam nodded with a smile. "Beth likes to distract me, so I sit on her."

"In my defence, my idiot brother hid my book last time. I think it was only fair that I distracted him," Beth pointed out, nudging her brother.

"You deserved it, loser."

The three of them continued to talk as they ate their meals and finished their drinks. Beth had to admit, John took each of her sarcastic insults in stride, even returning it with some of his own taunts. She started to think that maybe it would be a good idea to talk to him more, to get to know him... It was mainly thanks to Adam that she was considering it, but of course she wasn't going to tell him that. She didn't want to build up his already large ego.

* * *

><p>"I love your car, by the way," Beth stated, leading her dad and brother across the porch and through the front door.<p>

"Thank you," John nodded.

"Mom?" Adam called as he hung his jacket up.

"Hey, glad I caught you," Kate smiled, appearing in the living room doorway. "I have to head off to work now."

"When will you be home?" Beth asked.

"Who knows?" her mom shrugged, pulling her hair into a loose bun at the back of her head and reaching for her coat. "You two will be fine, John'll watch over you."

"But he doesn't know our routine!"

"Then tell him," Kate answered, exasperated. "You're twelve years old, Beth, stop acting like you're five."

Beth crossed her arms over her chest, clenching her jaw at her mom's gentle rebuff. Kate rolled her eyes, used to her daughter's short temper. She cupped Beth's face and kissed her forehead quickly.

"We'll do something fun tomorrow, I promise."

"You'll be too tired tomorrow," Beth pointed out with a scowl.

Kate sighed, releasing her daughter. "I don't have time for this right now."

"You _never_ have time!"

"John, there's food and juice in the fridge, a pile of Adam's DVD's in front of the TV and their bedtime is 9:30." Kate wrapped a scarf around her neck and tucked her phone, keys and purse into her bag.

"We'll be fine," John promised, setting his hands on Beth and Adam's shoulders.

"Thanks." Kate blew a kiss to Adam and Beth and left, locking the door behind her.

"You know kid, you should cut your mom some slack." John guided them into the living room. "She works hard for you two."

"She wouldn't have had to if you had been here," Beth retorted and shrugged his hand off, flopping down on the couch.

"I have a life you know, and other responsibilities."

"Like what?" she raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

"None of your business kid." John picked up the remote and tossed it at her.

Beth scoffed and rolled her eyes turning the TV on and flicking through the channels until she found an episode of Friends. Adam headed to the kitchen, grabbing three cans of soda before returning to the living room, handing a can to John and Beth.

"Yum, grape," Beth said as she licked her lips and gulped down some of the soda.

"Your favourite," Adam nodded.

"I'm going to bed after this episode." She leaned her head on Adam's shoulder as John sat in the arm chair in front of the window.

"I'm gonna stay up for a bit longer so I can have another go at the video game."

Beth nodded, snuggling into her brother's side and sipping at her drinking. The two of them chuckled as Chandler finally got the closet open to reveal a huge mess and telling Monica that she's messy. John watched them with an amused smirk as Beth laughed too hard and soda came out of her nose, Adam pulled some tissues out of his pocket and handed them to her without blinking.

* * *

><p><em>"Hey shorty," a familiar voice greeted.<em>

_"Gabe! You're here!" Beth grinned, rushing over to hug him. "And if I'm short, so are you."_

_"Pft, how rude." He stuck his nose up in a teasing manner._

_"Where are we this time?" Beth looked around her, taking in the warm, golden sand and deep blue ocean._

_"Some place in Spain," Gabe shrugged and sat down._

_"It's nice, I like it here," she decided after a moment. "It's nicer than the real world."_

_"What's wrong with the real world?"_

_"Adam and I finally met our dad. He showed up three days ago." She shrugged her shoulders, running her fingers through the warm sand. "He isn't what I thought he would be."_

_"What did you think he would be?" he asked gently, squeezing her shoulder._

_"I thought he would be happy that he had kids he'd never known before. I thought he would __**want **__to get to know us. But he acts like he's only doing it because it's expected of him." She turned to Gabe. "I don't think he even cares about us, he's always distracted when he's spending time with us, like he wishes he was somewhere else."_

_"Maybe he's just nervous?"_

_"Yeah, right," she scoffed dryly, "as if someone like John Winchester could get nervous."_

_"John Winchester?" Gabe questioned._

_"Yeah, he's our dad... do you know him?"_

_"I've heard of him," Gabe replied, casually nodding his head._

_"What have you heard?"_

_"Just that he's stubborn," Gabe lied. He knew that he couldn't tell her about John's other kids, or what her dad actually did for a 'living', it wasn't the right time. "And he can be pretty bold when he wants to be. Like someone else I know." He poked her gently in the ribs with a grin._

_"Stop it!" she ordered, struggling to hide her own grin. _

_Gabe looked to the side, the feeling that someone was about to disturb him taking over. He reached over and ruffled Beth's dark hair, smirking as she batted him away and tried to tidy her wild curls. _

_"You have to go now, don't you?"_

_"How did you know?"_

_"You always mess my hair up before you leave," she pointed out._

_"Yes, I have to go," he nodded. "Someone's gonna disturb me in about 3 minutes."_

_"Okay. I'll see ya next time." Beth stood at the same time as Gabe and hugged him tightly._

_"Maybe you should go easy on your dad," he suggested lightly. "And remember don't sa-"_

_"Don't say yes to the one with electric wings," she nodded in exasperation, "because he'll have control and I'll be stuck in my own mind. I know, I __**know**__. You tell me every time."_

_"For your safety, small fry," Gabe said seriously, staring down at her. _

_"And I appreciate it, but it's not like I'm going to forget," she told him._

_"I guess you won't." He bowed at the waist, winking at her. "Until next time, Bethany."_

_"Bye Gabe."_

_Gabe disappeared in a flash of light, leaving her sitting on the peaceful beach, watching the waves come and go until she would eventually wake up herself and have to face John again._


	3. Over the years

**_Disclaimer - I unfortunately don't own Supernatural, I only own Beth and any other OC's that may make an appearance during the story._**

* * *

><p><strong>September 29th, 2003<strong>

**(Adam and Bethany's 13th birthday)**

_"Bethany! Adam! Look who's here," Kate called from a few feet away._

_Beth glanced up from the magazine her and her two friends were looking at to find her dad standing beside her mom and the barbecue. She grinned and stood up, running across the grass and lunging at John, he caught her and lifted her into a hug._

_"Dad," she smiled as she locked her arms around his neck._

_After meeting his two young children a year previous, John had visited every so often whenever he could find time between hunting and had gotten to know them more and Beth had slowly welcomed him into her life. She was more willing to spend time with him without being encouraged by her mom or brother._

_"Hey champ." John set her down and patted Adam's back roughly._

_"Hello dad," Adam returned quietly before wandering back over to his friends to continue with their game of soccer._

_"What have you two been up to since I last saw you?" John questioned as he followed Beth over to the fold up picnic table they'd borrowed from their neighbours._

_"I've moved up a level in dance class," she told him and reached for a grape soda. "Adam passed his biology test; he got full marks."_

_"That's great news."_

_"What's that?" she asked curiously, staring at the newspaper wrapped gifts as he set one in front of her and kept the other beside him._

_"Your present... open it."_

_Beth hesitantly pulled it towards her and began ripping the newspaper open. Her eyes lit up as she took hold on the chain and lifted it up look at it properly. It was a gold locket with swirls on the cover. She opened it carefully and smiled at the picture of her, Adam, her mom and her dad that had been taken at the diner by Jenny last Christmas._

_"It's... it's beautiful, thank you." She looked up at him with a wide grin._

_"Look at the other side," John encouraged, pointing to the other side._

_On the other side of the locket were the words To Bethany Winchester-Milligan, love dad written in cursive. John took it from her, closing it and clasped it around her neck._

_"Thanks." Beth hugged him again, burying her face in his chest. "What did you get Adam?"_

_"A couple of video games, ones he said he didn't have," John replied quietly._

_"You best go give them to him then," she grinned. "He looks impatient."_

_John nodded and left the table, approaching Adam in two, quick strides and handing the present to him. Beth rubbed her locket gently, thinking that she was glad that she now had the chance to grow up with her dad in her life, even if he'd only been around for about year now._

* * *

><p><strong>September, 2006<strong>

**Adam and Beth's 16th birthday.**

"Where is he, mom?" Beth stared up at her mom with confused eyes.

"I don't know sweetie," Kate sighed, stroking Beth's deep brown hair.

"But he said he was going to continue teaching us how to drive the Impala."

"I doubt he's gonna show up," Adam scoffed as he ran his hand through his blonde hair. "He's three hours late."

Beth frowned, staring down at the table as she pried the bow from her hair and dropped it on her empty plate. Her hair fell in neat waves to her shoulders. She stood up, eyes sweeping over the pizza, salad and cake she had made especially for John before turning and leaving the room, running upstairs and slamming her bedroom door.

"I guess I'll put the food in the fridge... the pizza's gonna have to go in the cupboard." Kate sighed and climbed to her feet and began packing up the food.

"I'll help," Adam said and took the salad bowl and cake tray from her, heading to the fridge and carefully setting them in the fridge.

Beth lay face down on her bed, staring out of her open window as she thought back to her last two birthdays and when John decided to teach her and Adam how to drive.

_"What?" Beth couldn't believe her ears, she stared up at him in shock. "You're gonna teach us how to drive your car. The car you're fiercely protective over?"_

_"That's what I said," John nodded, a smirk on his face as he rested his arm on the top of the car._

_Adam shared a shocked look with his sister, both were thinking the same think, John had disappeared for an entire year and then he suddenly popped up again with the promise of teaching them how to drive. The past two birthdays had been eventful, on their 14th birthday, John took her, their mom and Adam to a baseball game and someone had ended up getting hit in the face with the ball, resulting in a broken nose and a bloody shirt. Their 15th birthday saw them being taught how to play poker, something that Beth failed epically at and Adam was surprisingly good at. John had also bought them their first beers, Beth didn't like the taste of the beer and they both promised not to tell their mom that they'd had alcohol, knowing she would overreact and most likely ground them for a month._

_"Who wants to go first?" he asked, opening the driver's door and gesturing for one of them to get in._

_"Beth can go first," Adam smirked and pushed her forwards._

_She swallowed nervously and climbed into the car, looking extremely awkward as she stared at the steering wheel. John explained slowly how to readjust the seat in case she need to be closer to the wheel of the car or further back. When she moved the seat to what she deemed the right position, he closed the door and headed for the passenger seat, telling Adam to get in the back._

_"I-I don't think this is a good idea," Beth's voice wavered. "I mean, I couldn't even ride a bike without crashing into the wall until I was 10."_

_"You'll be fine, just listen to my instructions and you'll be driving a car properly in no time," John reassured her._

_Beth nodded jerkily, clutching the steering wheel with a vice like grip and breathed deeply, listening to her dad as he told her what to do first. Adam relaxed against the back of his seat, staring out of the window and tapping his fingers against his knee in time with the music that played quietly in the background._

_"I told you that was a bad idea!" Beth shrieked, slamming on the brakes and turning the engine off, she shot out of the car and slammed the door._

_"You're a beginner, of course it's gonna be difficult for you," John said in a calming tone._

_"I thought that was hilarious, the look on your face when we went over the bump." Adam burst out laughing, clutching his sides tightly, even as Beth shot him an icy glare, clearly not finding the situation funny at all._

_"You're an ass," she snapped, folded her arms over her chest and pouted pathetically._

_"That's why you love me." Adam hugged her from behind, their cheeks pressed together as he squeezed her tightly._

_"I suppose I do."_

* * *

><p>Beth was jolted from her thoughts as a knock sounded at her door and it opened to reveal her brother. She sighed, waving a hand carelessly at him. He closed the door behind him and crossed the room, flopping down on the bed and resting his legs on her back.<p>

"Your legs are heavy," she whined, voice muffled by the pillow.

"And you're pouting like a child," he retorted before sighing, "I know you're angry, but what did you expect? He shows up for birthdays and then disappears until the following year. He doesn't tell us where he goes or what he's doing."

"I thought he would care enough to show up for our sweet sixteen," she whispered and rolled over, fiddling with the frayed bottoms of Adam's jeans.

"I'm sorry," he shrugged, "but I'm not surprised."

"You know, it's funny; I started out resenting him for not being a part of our lives and you were more welcoming, and now the roles are reversed, I wish he was here and you couldn't care less," Beth chuckled dryly.

Adam smiled bitterly, cursing his dad for ruining their birthday for Beth, who had spent all morning -from about 5am- in the kitchen, making the pizza and cake from scratch and preparing the living room for him coming, pinning up birthday banners and arranging the music and setting the table. It was almost as if it was John's birthday and not theirs.

"It's okay," he whispered and drew her into a tight hug. "He'll show up sooner or later."

"I hope so," she replied and buried her face in his neck.

* * *

><p><strong>University of Wisconsin-Madison<strong>

**November 28th, 2008**

"Adam!" Beth squealed and ran towards her brother, throwing her arms around his neck and laughing as he spun her in a circle. "I've missed you!"

"I missed you too," he grinned and set her down. "I can't believe it's been two months since you've been gone."

"How's mom?" she asked, tugging at his sleeve to get him to follow her.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Adam pointed at a blonde woman standing with her back to them.

"Mom?" Beth called and the woman turned around, smiling at the sight of her daughter. "Mom!"

"Hey baby," Kate chuckled, drawing her into a hug.

"I can't believe you're here as well." Beth pulled away with an accusing look. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Adam replied and tossed his arms around their shoulders.

Beth had applied for a position at the University earlier in the year and had had an interview during summer vacation, to her relief -and joy- she'd been accepted to do The Bachelor of Science Degree for Dance. She'd left just after her and Adam's 18th birthday and had been at school for two months, staying in the apartment that were offered by the University.

"Come on." She took her mom's bag from her and slung it over her shoulder. "How long are you gonna be here?"

"A few days, mom's taking time off work, and I don't have to go back to Uni until Saturday." Adam ruffled her hair.

"I can't believe you're studying to become a Doctor," she cackled at him.

"Yeah well, it's something I've always wanted to do," Adam replied.

"I know. I think you'll be an excellent Doctor," she told him honestly, glancing up at him. "Now come on, my roommate is visiting her boyfriend, so you can stay in her room."

"Thanks for having us," Kate told her daughter, squeezing her hand lightly.

"Don't be silly, I love having you here," she grinned.

And it was true, Beth often got homesick and wished her mom would come and visit more often, or that she could find some time in between studying and working at the bar just down the road from her shared apartment. She was just grateful that Adam was also attending the same University as her.

She just wished that her dad had bothered to show up for her 17th and 18th birthday, and that he'd been there to see her and Adam off to University.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note - Hey! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'd like to let you know that the next chapter will be Adam and Beth returning from Uni, worried about their mom, who they haven't heard from for a period of time and then the events from Jump the Shark will happen. :D<em>**

**_So, enjoy! And let me know what you think._**

**_Fire and Ash._**


	4. Jump the Shark

**Windom, Minnesota**

Adam and Beth had decided to take a short break from Uni for a few days because their mom hadn't been answering any of their phone calls for about a week. Beth was being openly worried about her mom, but Adam was trying to hide how worried he was to keep his sister from panicking, he was also the one to pull her out of her classes and convince her to go back home to Windom to find out why their mom wouldn't answer.

"Do you think she's okay?" Beth asked hesitantly as they entered Windom.

"She'll be fine," Adam replied, trying convince both himself and Beth. "She probably left her phone at work or something."

"Mom never leaves her phone at work," she argued as she pulled her cell phone out and tried calling her mom again.

"I don't know what to tell you," her brother shrugged, just as concerned as her, "but we'll find her, she'll be okay."

Beth let out a ragged breath, closing her phone and tossing it back into her bag when it went straight to voicemail, yet again. She grabbed her water bottle and took a long swig of it.

"What... what if something bad's happened?"

"What are you talking about? Nothing bad has happened to mom," Adam answered sharply.

"We don't know that, Adam," she pointed out quietly.

"Look, we'll get to the house and look around and ask the neighbours if they've seen or heard from her recently," Adam said, staring intently at the road in front of them.

"Okay," Beth agreed and fell silent, watching the scenery pass by as they got closer and closer to their house.

Beth could only hope that they would find their mom, before it was too late and something bad happened to her. A part of her couldn't help but wish that John was there to help them look for their mom.

* * *

><p>Dean let out a groan, hitting his arm against the door frame as he struggled to sit up in the front seat of the Impala. Sam turned back to look at him as his brother opened the door and all but fell out of the car.<p>

"Hey," Sam smirked in amusement, "how'd you sleep?"

"How'd you think?" Dean grumbled as he braced his hands against the side of the car. Sam chuckled, going back to brushing his teeth. "I'm starved, let's get breakfast." He closed the door with a light thud.

"Where? We're like two hours from anything."

"Well I'm hungry now," Dean replied.

"There's probably still a sandwich in the back seat," Sam said.

Dean smiled and headed for the back of the car, pulling out a brown paper bag and opening it enthusiastically. He took one whiff of the contents and drew his head back, making a noise of disgust.

"It's tuna," he scowled, just as the sound of a cell phone ringing met his ears. He tossed the sandwich back into the car and patted his pockets, searching for the phone. When he came to the conclusion it was coming from the car, he opened the glove compartment and riffled through the pile of cell phones, pulling out one of his dad's old ones, hitting his head as he moved back out of the car.

"Isn't that dad's phone?" Sam questioned curiously and Dean nodded.

"Hello?" Dean said after flipping it open and accepting the call.

"_Uh... is this John?_" A male voice asked hesitantly.

"He can't come to the phone, can I help you?" Dean replied.

"_No, no, no. I really need to talk to John. This is Adam Milligan, he knows me,_" The male said nervously.

"_And Beth Milligan,_" a feminine voice chirped loudly.

"Well sorry to be the one to break this to you pal, but John died, more than 2 years ago." Dean glanced at Sam as his younger brother turned around.

"_W-what?_" the female at the other end asked, voice wavering.

"Who is this?"

"_W-we're his son and daughter,_" Adam told him.

Dean's eyes narrowed and his grip on the phone tightened as he told Adam and Beth that he would drive over to Windom -after asking where they were- and meet them himself. He hung up without a word, turning to Sam and telling him what had just been said.

* * *

><p><strong>17th April, 2009<strong>

**Windom, Minnesota**

"Come on," Adam grumbled, waiting for his sister to finish changing.

"I'm coming!" Beth replied sharply, pulling on her brown leather jacket and grabbing her messenger bag.

"I got a text message from Sam, he said they were at the diner now."

"I'm ready," Beth pushed him lightly, grinning at him.

"Good. Now we can go." He took hold of her arm and tugged her down the stairs and out the door, locking it behind them.

"You need to relax, the diner's only down five minutes away and if they are too impatient to wait for us, then that's their problem," she pointed out, "but they want answers, so they won't think about going anywhere."

"Okay, you're right," he scowled as she smirked in satisfaction.

"I'm always right," she boasted proud fully. "I wonder what they're like."

"The other one sounded like a bit of jerk," Adam shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road.

Beth nodded thoughtfully, leaning back in her seat and watching the scenery whiz by, knowing that they were going to be one step closer to finding out how John had died.

"We're here," Adam's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she sat up, grabbing her bag and climbing out of the truck when he had stopped and turned the engine off.

"I guess this is it," Beth took a deep breath and followed him into the diner. They stood in the doorway, looking around, trying to determine who Sam was, when a deep voice met their ears and they turned to find a brunette and a sandy blonde haired male sitting by the window.

"You Sam?" Adam questioned hesitantly.

"Uh, yeah. This is Dean." Sam pointed at the grumpy looking male beside him.

"It's nice to meet you," Beth smiled, letting Adam take the window seat before she sat down.

"You too... Bethany?" Sam held a hand out.

"Just Beth, actually." She reached across the table and shook Sam's hand.

"So, um, how'd you know our dad?" Adam asked, narrowing his eyes as Dean as he refused to shake Beth's hand and she sat back, looking away.

"We worked together," Sam said, reciting the lie he and Dean had agreed on.

"All right..." Adam drifted off awkwardly, clearing his throat and Beth smiled at the action, fiddling with her locket.

"That's a pretty locket, Can I see it for a minute?" Dean asked, mock polite and his tone left no room for arguing.

"Uh sure." She unclasped her locket and handed it over hesitantly. Dean opened it, his jaw clenching at the picture of John with two kids who could only be Beth and Adam and some blonde woman, who he assumed was their mom. He bit his tongue roughly to prevent himself from saying something he'd regret as his eyes skimmed over the words; _To Bethany Winchester-Milligan, love dad._

"When did John give you that?" Dean asked as he passed it to Sam.

"It was a present, for my 13th birthday," she replied, thanking Sam as he returned it to her and she clasped it around her neck again.

"How did dad die?" Adam asked when the group fell silent again.

"On the job," Sam explained.

"He's a mechanic, right?"

"A car fell on him," Dean interrupted harshly, glaring at the twins.

"Hey guys, how you doing?" Denise -Jenny's cousin- asked, smiling as she set two glasses of water in front of them.

"I'll take those." Dean grabbed the glasses quickly. "I'm very thirsty," he explained at their confused looks.

"You kids want the usual?" Denise looked away from Dean.

"Yes please," Beth nodded.

"Thanks Denise," Adam added. He picked up the glass in front of him and took a sip, swallowing as Dean watched him intently. The older male frowned when the holy water didn't work on Adam.

"Are you thirsty, Beth?" Sam queried, pushing another glass at her, at the last minute, he nudged it and it fell over, splashing Beth's hand and tank top.

"Holy crap! That is cold," she yelped, shaking her hand.

"I am so sorry, I'm clumsy," Sam said quickly when her skin didn't burn and she didn't scream in pain.

"It's fine." She waved off his apology, rubbing at her tank top with a napkin. "The water's just cold."

Dean shared a glance with Sam, silently encouraging his brother to keep talking.

"So, when's the last time you saw John?"

"I don't even know, it's been a couple of years," Adam said.

"Yeah, he was supposed to come to our 16th birthday," Beth added and gulped down a mouthful of holy water. "But he didn't show."

"Why did you decide to call him now?" Sam asked as Dean reached into his jacket, slowing drawing his gun out and pointing it at the twins under the table.

"We didn't know who else to call," Adam explained, shifting in his seat. "He's the only family we've got."

"Mom's missing," Beth pursed her lips sadly, watching Dean out of the corner of her eye and tilting her head as she wondered why he was staring at her so intently.

"I'm sorry. How long's she been missing?"

"Three days," she answered. "We hadn't heard from her for a while and we were worried, so we drove back here."

"It's tragic, really," Dean scoffed, causing them to frown at him. "But if you're John's kids, how come we've never heard of you?"

"Us and John didn't really know each other," Adam replied. "Not until a few years ago."

"What'd you mean?" Sam input.

"Mom never talked about him, even when I kept hounding her for information," Beth chuckled, thinking back to when her mom would refuse to tell her and she'd beg and whine until she eventually gave up.

"We knew some stuff," Adam continued for his sister.

"What stuff?" Dean demanded.

"Our mom's a nurse, and dad came into the ER pretty torn up, he was in a hunting accident or something. I knew his name; John Winchester," Adam said. "That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family."

"Yeah well, who is these days?" Sam smirked.

"So when did you... when did you finally meet him?" Dean input.

"October, 2002," Beth replied, drinking some more water. "Just after we turned 12."

"Our mom had one of his old numbers, and after we begged her, 24/7, she finally called him." Adam put his hands in his pocket, unaware that Dean was pointing his gun in Beth's direction. "God, when John heard he had twins, he raced to town; I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night."

"Yeah, he was pretty eager to meet us," Beth nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that's heart warming," Dean muttered sarcastically.

"Here you go," Denise set two plates on the table in front of them.

"Thanks, Denni!" Beth grinned at the waitress.

"No problem honey." Denise ruffled her hair and went back behind the counter.

"You mind?" Adam asked politely, gesturing to his food.

"Oh no, please, dig in." Beth raised an eyebrow, wondering how someone could make that sound so threatening, so sinister.

They both set their napkins on their knees, avoiding touching the cutlery. Sam glanced and his brother and Dean nodded, taking the safety off of his gun as he leaned forward eagerly, waiting for them to be burned by the silver when they stopped fiddling and finally picked up the cutlery.

"He would swing by once a year or so, you know?" Adam told them.

Dean's eyes locked on Beth as she reached for her fork and lifted it up, stabbing a handful of pasta and sticking it in her mouth. He sighed deeply, annoyed when the two of them were unaffected by the pure silver.

"...Called when he could, but still," Adam shrugged, shovelling a forkful of eggs into his mouth. Dean put the safety back on on his gun and stuck it back in his pocket. "He taught us poker and pool. He bought us beer when we were 15... Beth didn't like it, she couldn't stop gagging at the taste."

"It tasted horrible," she said defensively, turning back to Sam and Dean. "He showed us how to drive too. He had this awesome '67 Chevy Impala. I found it hard at first, I nearly crashed when we went over a hole in the gro-"

"Oh this is crap," Dean interrupted angrily and glared at them. "You know what? You're lying."

"No she's not," Adam said defensively, leaning towards his twin, who looked completely shocked at Dean's abrupt outburst.

"Uh, yeah she is," Dean countered, "and so are you."

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me or my sister a liar?" Adam demanded, dropping his fork and knife with a loud clatter.

"We're John Winchester's sons, that's who. We are his kids," Dean growled, gesturing between himself and Sam.

Adam's expression turned to disbelief and he glanced at Sam, who nodded lightly, backing up Dean's statement. Beth's eyes were wide, her lips parted in surprise. Never in a million years had she imagined that she would have two more brothers out there, or that she'd even be meeting them now. She understood now that that's where John must have disappeared too for the rest of the year, back to his other kids.

"We've got brothers?" Adam asked quietly.

"No. You don't have brothers," Dean snapped. "Look, I don't know if you're hunters or what kind of game you're playing here-"

"I have never been hunting in my life. Neither has Beth."

"Whatever. I'm out of here," Dean stood up. "Come on, Sam."

Dean strode off towards the door of the diner and stopped just beside the counter, waiting for his brother. Sam smiled apologetically at them and stood as well.

"It was nice meeting you, Sam," Beth told him as he walked past.

"Uh, you too, Beth."

"Wait!" Adam called to them. "We can prove it."

* * *

><p>Beth had chosen to drive on the way back to their house, with Sam and Dean following behind in the Impala. Now, they were currently standing in the living room, Adam was talking to Sam whilst Beth took Dean by his sleeve and led him over to the photo of her, Adam and John at a baseball game.<p>

"He took you to a baseball game?" Dean questioned as Sam and Adam joined them.

"When we were 14," she told him gently, taking note of his wounded expression.

"Dad was around for a few of our birthdays," Adam added.

"September 29th, 2004," Sam began, holding up a journal. "One word 'Minnesota'."

"What's that?" Beth glanced at Sam as Dean shrugged her off.

"Dad's journal," he answered shortly.

"He took you to a freaking baseball game?" Dean repeated, disbelief in his eyes.

"Yeah," Adam nodded and took the photo from Dean. "Why? What did dad do with you on your birthday?"

Dean scoffed sarcastically, looking away before he could see the confusion on Adam's face. Beth squeezed her twin's hand, conveying with her eyes to take no notice of the grumpy older male.

"Adam, you said you called dad because your mom was missing?" Sam input, trying to ease the tension between the two blondes and Beth, who was obviously gonna side with Adam in case another argument broke out.

"Yeah," Adam nodded.

"How long's she been gone?"

"About 3 days," Beth replied, repeating what she had said in the diner.

"Who was the last person to see her?" Dean asked, trying to reel in his anger and irritation.

"Mr Abbinanti, our neighbour. He saw her come home Tuesday night," Adam explained. Beth flopped down on the couch, stretching her legs out and hanging her head off the edge of the arm of the chair. "But she never showed up to work Wednesday."

Dean looked past Adam, eyes zeroing in on a picture of John and their mom with their arms around each other, smiling at the camera.

"Did you call the police?"

"Our mom's supervisor at the hospital did," Beth stated. "I also spoke to our other neighbour, Mrs Gregory, she said she thought she heard a struggle and called the cops, but they'd already been notified and had checked the house."

"We drove down here as fast as we could," Adam finished, a glassy sheen covering his eyes. "I-we should've been here."

"Mom would be here if we had been," Beth agreed, sitting up and tucking her hair behind her ears.

"What'd the cops say?" Dean cleared his throat awkwardly.

"They searched the house but they didn't find anything suspicious," Beth said as she met his gaze. "Our mom wouldn't have left without telling anyone... without telling us."

"It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth, you know?" Adam blinked rapidly, turning his head away from Sam's pitying look.

* * *

><p>"What are you looking for?" Beth asked. She folded her arms over her chest as Dean moved the dresser in her mom's room away from the wall. He ignored her in favour of looking at two pictures, one was of Kate holding Adam whilst feeding him with Beth sitting on her lap, clapping her hands together and the other was of Kate, John, Adam and Beth hiking one day, back when they were twelve.<p>

"The night stand was knocked over, anything else?"

"Not really, the Sheriff said there's no sign of a break-in," Adam piped up from the doorway.

"Do you think the cops missed something?" Beth risked a step closer as Dean looked around the room.

"Maybe. They don't have my eyes," Dean answered cockily.

"You're a mechanic," Adam reminded him, eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Yeah, that's right." Dean turned back to them after lifting the curtain and dropping it.

"Weirdo," Beth mouthed at Adam, who chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes.

"I saw that, princess," Dean called over his shoulder. "I have eyes in the back of my head. And if anyone's the weirdo, it's you."

"Oh yeah, how'd you figure?"

"From the picture of you hanging upside down from a tree dressed as a mermaid," Dean replied without pause.

"Okay, you got me there." Beth cracked a smile at him.

"Dean, what else can you tell us about dad?" Adam asked seriously after a moment.

"You knew him," Dean shrugged.

"Not as well as you," Beth countered, jumping to Adam's aid.

"Trust me kid, you don't wanna know."

Adam frowned, looking ready to reply when footsteps indicated the arrival of Sam, who had left the house about half an hour ago to go and do something or other, Beth really had no clue what he was doing.

"Give us a minute," Dean ordered and followed Sam into the hall.

"Well, he's just a bundle of joy," Beth muttered sarcastically, sitting on the bed beside Adam and shrugging her jacket off.

"I prefer Sam... he was nicer to us at the diner," Adam replied just as quietly.

"Did you see Dean's face when he was looking at the picture of us and mom and dad? It's like dad never did anything nice for him or took him and Sam out for fun."

"It's not really our business."

"...I suppose you're right," she sighed with a teasing grin. "Always the voice of reason."

"Hey, does your mom know Joe Barton?" Dean asked, holding up a picture of a guy with glasses.

"I don't think so, why?"

Dean sighed and lowered the picture to his side, when he went to look away, he noticed something in the corner of his eye and looked down at the floor, where five long scratches lay on the wooden floorboards, disappearing under the bed.

"What is it?" Beth quickly stood up, grabbing her jacket and pulling Adam off the bed as Dean stopped beside them and moved the comforter, getting down on his knees to look under the bed.

"Give me a hand with the mattress," Dean said and Sam pulled Beth backwards to stand beside him as their two brothers got to work on moving her mom's mattress. Underneath her mom's bed was a very rusty looking vent cover.

"What _are_ you doing?" she demanded as Sam and Dean proceeded to participate in a game of rock, paper, scissors and Dean lost, much to his dismay.

"Every time," he grumbled.

"Okay, we have nut cases for brothers," she mumbled to Adam and chuckled.

Her, Sam and Adam waited patiently in her mom's room while Dean climbed into the vent with a flash light in one hand and a gun in the other. She sighed, setting her jacket down and fiddling with her locket.

"What's taking him so long?" Beth asked, looking up at Sam.

"I don't know," Sam replied, just as the sound of thudding drifted from the vent. "Here he comes."

"You guys need to call the cops," Dean told them urgently as he heaved himself out of the vent.

"Wait, what?" Beth demanded, wide eyed. "Why?"

"Because there's a whole lot of blood down there," he answered gently, squeezing her shoulder.

"B-but that means..." Adam trailed off, a queasy look crossing his face.

"Look, just call the cops. We need to get out of here," Dean directed towards Sam, who nodded and headed for the stairs, followed by Dean, a horrified Beth and a confused Adam.

"Why are you leaving? Why can't you stay here for the cops?"

"It's better if we're not here when they get here," Sam explained calmly. He took the flash light from Dean and shoved it in a duffel bag at the foot of the stairs.

Without another word, their older brothers darted out of the house with the bag, tossing it onto the back seat of the Impala and driving away after getting in the car. Adam and Beth shared a mutually concerned look and went back inside, Beth heading for the phone and Adam heading for the kitchen to get some water.

"...They'll be here in five minutes," she told Adam, hanging up the phone after a three minute long conversation.

"When they leave, we're going to see our brothers," Adam said firmly. "I wanna know what they're hiding."

"Me too," Beth agreed.

* * *

><p>The moment the cops asked them to leave, claiming their house was now a crime scene, Beth and Adam went willingly, grabbing their bags and Beth's jacket and heading off towards Adam's truck.<p>

They arrived at the motel Sam and Dean were staying at and climbed out of the cab of the truck quickly, storming towards the room with the number that Sam had given them back at the house. Adam banged on the door, shaking his fist afterwards in an attempt to rid it of the stinging sensation that raced across the side of his hand.

The moment the door opened slightly, Adam shoved his way inside, followed by a quiet Beth, who twitched her lips into a half smile at Sam and closed the door.

"Who the hell are you?" her twin demanded immediately.

"Adam, hey. Take it easy," Sam said in a soothing tone. Dean quickly covered the gun parts on his bed with a large cloth to prevent Adam and Beth from seeing it.

"No, don't tell me to take it easy!" Adam yelled. "Our house is a crime scene, our mom's probably dead, and you two, well you told me to call the cops but you gotta bail before they show? So who are you, really?"

Beth took over from Adam as they looked between their older brothers, "The cops didn't know where to look, Dean. But somehow you did."

"And I heard you talking earlier, something about grave robberies." Adam added with a frown. "You're not mechanics."

"What is _that_? Why do you have a gun?" Beth demanded, taking a large step backwards.

"For protection," Dean replied simply.

"Against what?" Beth asked before pausing, reconsidering her question. "You know what, I don't wanna know."

"Yeah, well I do. I wanna know what's going on, right now," Adam said, a lot calmer than before. "Please."

"We're hunters," Sam admitted after a brief period of silence.

"Sammy," Dean warned.

"They deserve to know, Dean," Sam countered.

"What do you mean, 'hunters?'"

* * *

><p><em><strong>(The next morning)<strong>_

"You are hunters of the supernatural," Beth summed up, nodding her head. A panicked look suddenly crossed her face and she shot up. "You guys are crazy!" she yelled at them. "It's just my luck that I get lumbered with two new brothers who just so happen to be completely psycho."

Adam pulled her back down beside him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "So, basically you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare that I've ever had... that's all real?"

"Godzilla's just a movie," Dean said sarcastically from the table in the corner of the room and Sam rolled his eyes.

"We hunt them, so did dad," Sam replied.

"Okay," Adam said.

"Okay?" Dean and Beth repeated together in disbelief.

"What am I supposed to say?"

"That we're liars, that we're crazy - like your sister did. Nobody just says 'okay'." Dean retorted.

"I agree with Dean," Beth pointed out.

"You're our brothers. You're telling the truth, right?" Adam directed the question at Sam.

"Yeah," Sam promised.

"Then I believe you."

"Well I don't. Adam, we don't know these people, they could be escaped mental patients for all we know," she hissed at him, trying to get him to see sense but he ignored her in favour of asking more questions.

"Do you know what took our mom?"

"We're not sure... something's in town, stealing bodies, living and dead." Sam glanced at Beth to find her eyeing him warily. "But we don't know what."

"There's long list of freaks that fit the bill," Dean input.

"You think maybe she might still be alive?" Adam asked hopefully.

Sam and Dean were silent, both lowering their gazes as Adam looked at them. Beth's heart clenched tightly within her chest and she bit back a pained gasp at the thought of her mom being actually dead, with no hope that she might still be clinging to life, somewhere.

"How can we help?"

"You can't," Dean barked.

"This thing killed our mom, and if you're hunting it, I want in."

"No." Dean glared back at Adam before his eyes slid to the right to look at a completely silent Beth who was fiddling with her necklace again, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the locket.

"Dean, look. Maybe-"

"Maybe what?" Dean interrupted.

"They lost their mom, maybe we can understand what that feels like," Sam replied sharply.

Dean stood up, their dads journal clutched tightly in his hand. "Why do you think dad never told us about these kids, huh Sam? Why do you think he ripped out the pages?"

"Because..." Sam trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Because he was protecting them," Dean told his younger brother roughly.

"Dad's dead, Dean," Sam reminded him calmly.

"It doesn't matter," Dean said firmly. Beth's eyes flickered between the two, watching nervously as they argued with one another. "He didn't want Adam or Beth to have our lives and we're going to respect his wishes."

"Do we get a say in this?" Adam questioned, watching as Dean threw the journal of Sam's bed.

"No," Sam and Dean snapped in unison.

"Babysit the kids." Dean headed over to the coat rack and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going out!" Dean shouted.

Beth stood up, eager to get out of the motel room. "C-can I come as well? I'd really like some fresh air."

"Fine. Whatever," Dean said, heading out of the room.

"I'll see you later." She quickly hugged Adam and waved awkwardly at Sam before hurrying after Dean.

* * *

><p><em>Down, deep in the dark, lay a girl with rib length brown hair and equally brown eyes. Scratches covered her body. From head to toe, blood coated almost every available patch of skin. A long cut had been made down each of her arms and on the side of her neck. <em>

_Her eyes were squeezed shut as she desperately tried to block out the screams that haunted her every waking minute... and her dreams. The others were already dead, killed slowly and painfully. She was made to watch, and listen, as the monsters tore into her family and that poor stranger. _

_She didn't want to be here. She wanted them to just end it, to not draw her fate out any longer. _

_But they wouldn't show her such kindness. They wanted her to die just as slowly and painfully as their other victims... they wanted her to die screaming. _

_She didn't want to give in, but if someone didn't find away to save her soon, she would die exactly how they wanted her to._

_She would die alone and forgotten._

* * *

><p>"This tomb was built in 1926," the old man explained, pulling the door open and gesturing for Dean and Beth to go in ahead of him. Dean had changed into a suit and a long coat and had broken into Beth's house so she could get a white shirt, black skirt and tights and a pair of black, high heeled shoes. He also bought her a brand new black blazer, seeing as she didn't own one before. "Four generations of the Millsap family were interred here."<p>

"They don't build them like this any more," Dean commented, staring at the gaping hole in one of the tombs that was missing a large slab of stone.

"Tell me, Agent Nugent, Agent Howard." The man turned to them. "Have you thought about where you would like eternity?"

"All the damn time," Dean said in response.

"Uh, no, I haven't. But I'll be sure to let you know when I have," Beth answered, taking the offered card.

"So, three bodies went missing. Any idea who did it?" Dean questioned as he walked further into the mausoleum.

"Hooligans. Sick, deranged hooligans."

Dean crouched down and gestured for Beth to come over, which she did and adjusted her skirt so it wouldn't show off her underwear when she crouched beside him. He ran his fingers over some sort of black liquid on the side of the tomb.

"This isn't blood, what is it?"

"No, it's embalming fluid," the man replied in disgust, "who ever committed this crime didn't just take the corpses, they opened them up."

"Ugh, that is just gross," Beth muttered, sticking her tongue out.

"Come on, let's go," Dean told her and stood up, thanking the man and leading her out of the mausoleum and back to the car before he drove off towards their next destination.

* * *

><p>"Why are we here?" Beth whispered, following Dean into the bar.<p>

"Because I want a beer," he replied and headed to the counter.

The two of them sat down and Dean took a piece of paper out of his pocket as Beth took her blazer off and set it in front of her. The bartender grabbed two glasses and approaching the tap beside Dean, pouring beer into both glasses.

"First beer's on the house for cops," she explained. "Feds too."

"Are we that obvious?"

"I know all the local badges," the lady smiled. She set the large glasses in front of them. "And you've got that law-and-order vibe."

"Thank you." Beth took a sip from her glass of beer and had to restraining the urge to spit the bitter liquid back out.

"So, what're the FBI doing in Windom?"

"Looking into the disappearance of Joe Barton," Dean answered and slid the picture of Joe to the bartender. "I assume you knew him," Dean pointed out, taking in the woman's sad expression.

"A little," she nodded weakly. "I'm his wife, Lisa."

"Well, Lisa, what can you tell me about his disappearance." Beth's older brother slipped the picture back into his coat.

"Same thing I told the Sheriff," Lisa said. "He stayed late, Friday before last to do inventory... never came home."

"And the police?"

"Nothing," Lisa shrugged, cleaning glasses with a towel. "Truth is, I was scared they stopped looking. But now you're here."

"Joe was a cop?" Beth followed Dean's gaze to a picture of Joe behind the bar dressed in uniform.

"Deputy, for a little while," Lisa explained. "That was a long time ago."

"He didn't happen to work the grave-robbery case back in '90?"

"He did, yeah," Lisa nodded. "He was the one who found those bodies. He got an award for that."

"That was an interesting case." Dean looked towards a newspaper clipping from 1990 to do with the case and looked back to Lisa. "He ever tell you how he did it?"

"Most of the time, he'd say 'good, solid, police work.' But after a few beers, he'd admit he had help."

"From who?" Beth asked curiously, half way through her beer.

"A specialist, that's all he'd say."

"Cops ever find the guy who stole the bodies?" Dean queried.

"No. But whenever I'd ask Joe, he'd say not to worry, that 'we took care of what done it'."

Beth looked curiously at Dean who simply tilted his head to say he would tell her later and she nodded, finishing her beer and ordering a glass of pineapple juice.

* * *

><p>"That was so much fun!" Beth grinned, glancing at Dean. "I have never pretended to be an FBI agent before... can we do it again?"<p>

Dean chuckled at Beth's enthusiasm, remembering a time when he got that excited over dressing up and tricking people into thinking he actually _was _an FBI agent or a reporter. Some people were just so gullible.

"Not tonight," he replied seriously, but Beth's smile didn't dim or falter, in fact, it grew bigger.

"Another night?" she hedged. A hopeful expression on her face.

"...Maybe."

"Okay, I can live with maybe." Beth turned her head to stare out the window as they drove back to the motel.

They reached the motel in minutes, pulling to an abrupt stop as Sam was struggling against the thing trying to pull him under Adam's truck. Beth quickly scrambled out of the Impala and sprinted over, grabbing his hand and tugging with all her might. Adam grabbed the same arm that Beth was pulling at and Dean grabbed Sam's other arm. When they finally pulled Sam free, Dean grabbed the sawed off shotgun and got down on one knee, quickly firing one shot under the truck.

"Holy cow... that was scary," Beth panted from where she was sprawled on the ground, Adam leaning heavily against her. "Are you okay, Sam?"

"I'm fine," he assured her with a small, breathless smile.

The three of them got to their feet, watching as Dean picked up the keys to the truck and got in, reversing backwards until a man hole cover came into sight. Dean approached it slowly, the gun clutched tightly in his hands. He dabbed his fingers in some dark red, almost black liquid and rubbed his fingers together before wiping them on his coat. He headed over to Sam, Beth and Adam, the three of them all looked to Dean for some explanation.

"I winged it," he explained, "did you you see anything?"

"I didn't get a good look," Sam sighed.

"What the hell is this thing?" Dean muttered after depositing the gun in the back seat of the car.

"Should we go after it?" Adam pitched in hesitantly.

"No. In that maze? That thing's long gone." Dean tucked his hands in his pockets, sending a glance over at Adam.

"Alright, so we don't know what it is," Sam concluded. "But we know who it's going after; Joe Barton, their mom..."

"And Adam and Beth," Dean finished. "It was under his truck just waiting for them."

"It set a trap and I walked right into it," said Sam with a frown.

"Doesn't matter, there's a pattern," Dean told them. "Joe Barton's a cop. I'm pretty sure he helped out dad. So we got him, dad's girl, and his kids."

"All the people dad knew in town," Sam realized. Adam and Beth were silent, watching the exchange with curious eyes. Beth glanced at Adam in time to see him send a smile in her direction.

"At least we know why it's back," Dean pointed out.

"It wants revenge," Adam input quietly.

"We should go back to the house, get Adam and Beth's stuff," Sam suggested. "We can send them to Bobby's."

"Sounds good," Dean nodded with a look in his eyes that cancelled out any thoughts of protesting from the twins.

* * *

><p>When they reached the house, the four of them went to the back door and Beth unlocked it, her and Adam ducking under the police tape. Dean rolled his eyes and simply tore the tape down from the doorway before entering the kitchen. Sam followed without a word.<p>

"Grab your stuff, we'll hit the road," Dean ordered as he walked after them into the hallway.

"Yes boss." Beth saluted and headed for the stairs.

"They're talking about us," Adam said as he walked into Beth's room after packing some belongings into a rucksack.

"Obviously. We're just that interesting," Beth grinned. She finished packing clothes into a duffel bag and set her make up bag and soap bag in it before putting her guitar in its case and making sure it was closed properly.

"You're so weird," he scoffed as he led her back down the stairs.

The two of them approached the kitchen, hearing the last part of the conversation. Apparently Sam wanted to use them as bait to catch the thing hunting them but Dean was determined not to let it happen.

"I'll do it," Adam said and stepped into the kitchen. "Whatever it takes, we'll do it. We wanna do it."

"Wow, okay, hold up," Beth ordered, holding a hand up. "I never agreed to being bait."

"Do you wanna spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder?" her twin demanded.

"Well, no. But-"

"Then it's settled. We _both _want to do it."

Beth sighed in exasperation, knowing there was no way she could possibly argue with him now, not when his mind was made up. But she did feel that it kinda sucked that she was being dragged into it when she didn't want to be used as bait.

* * *

><p>"Hey Dean," Beth smiled at him as she handed a bottle of beer to him.<p>

"Where did you even get that?" he questioned but accepted it.

"Adam had a pack of them in the fridge, so I stole some for you," she shrugged. "It's the least he can do, wanting to use himself and me as bait and all."

"Fair point," Dean conceded and took a swig of the still cold beer. "Why aren't you over there with those two?"

"Because I wanted the honour of your company?" she suggested with a grin. "Nah, I thought it best to leave the gun training to the people who are _less_ likely to shoot themselves in the foot."

"You that clumsy?"

"Oh yeah. It's unbelievable how clumsy I can be," she stated. "It all disappears when I start dancing though. I'm in no way clumsy at that."

"You're a dancer?" Dean looked at her curiously.

"Since I was kid." She nodded in confirmation.

A series of shots being fired had them turning their heads to see Sam congratulating Adam on hitting the bulls eye on his first time. Dean rolled his eyes with a scoff, turning away from the scene.

"...You really don't like us, do you?" Beth asked, her face falling.

"It's not that I don't like you," Dean said dispassionately. "I just... I don't want you brought into this life like we were."

"Well that's fine by me, because I can assure you that I have no interest in becoming a hunter," she told him honestly, folded her arms over her chest. "But... I would like it if we could keep in touch after this is all over. If that's okay with you?"

"I could agree to that," Dean agreed with a teasing wink.

* * *

><p>Back at the house, Sam was showing Adam and Beth a book full of different supernatural beings and that their strengths and weaknesses were. Dean was perched on the unit behind them, his displeasure rolling off of him in waves.<p>

"So then we lit it on fire," Sam finished telling them the story of a wendigo hunt from 2005.

"With a homemade flame thrower?" Adam asked, eyes alight with awe.

"That is so cool," Beth laughed, amazement clear on her face.

"They're easy to build," Sam explained, "I'll show you."

"This is some job you got man," Adam breathed, glancing back at the book.

"Being a hunter isn't a job, Adam," Sam began seriously, his tone making the twins look up curiously. "It's life. You're premed, You got a girlfriend? Friends?" he directed at Adam before turning to Beth. "You're doing a BS degree for dancing, which means you have friends and other dancers you care about."

"I do..." Beth replied, confused as to where he was going with this.

"Not any more you don't," Sam continued and Beth's face screwed up in disbelief, wondering who the hell he thought he was to tell her she couldn't have friends. "If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed. That's the price we pay. You cut them out and you don't look back. There's only one thing you can count on. Family."

Beth stared intently at her hands, trying to ignore the hole Sam was currently burning into the side of her head with his strong gaze. Adam looked down as well, feeling as though he'd just been reprimanded for stealing the last cookie out of the jar, like he had done when he was a kid.

"Sam?" Dean interrupted. "Can I talk to you?" He stood up and headed for the hallway, leaving Sam no choice but to follow.

"He's in for it now," Beth sing-songed with an amused smile.

Adam chuckled quietly in response, silently agreeing with his sister's statement. From the irritated look on Dean's face, it was obvious that Sam was in for an earful from his older brother.

* * *

><p><em>It was still dark. It was always dark down there. <em>

_The girl let out a shaky breath, a visible cloud rushing past her lips and evaporating into thin air after floating towards the ceiling. Her colourless lips trembled as she shivered from the cold, having no possible means of regaining warmth. _

_Her creamy white tank top matched the colour of her skin perfectly, blending together to make a brighter white, it was also spattered with drops of blood. Her blood. Her brother's blood. Her mom's blood. Her skinny jeans were ripped and bloody, her shoes long gone. Her once shiny, wavy hair was dull and tangled, as lifeless as she currently felt._

_She knew time was running out. She knew that they would come back soon, to torment her some more._

_All she could do was tremble and weep in the cold darkness as her inevitable death loomed closer. _

_She just wanted to be saved._

_"Please help me," she thought pleadingly, wheezing harshly._

* * *

><p>When Dean left the house, he drove straight to the graveyard, parking quickly and grabbing a flashlight and gun, strode through the open doors of the mausoleum. He looked around for a few minutes, examining the broken tombs once again. A light breeze suddenly brushed against his legs and he turned, seeing the cobwebs in front of the stone wall swaying slightly, there was a small gap between two large slabs of stone.<p>

Dean returned from the Impala moments later, carrying a crowbar, which he used to tug the stone free from the other stones before pulling it out with his hands. He repeated this action another three times to remove the surrounding stone and crouched down, being met with a long, dusty tunnel that opened up at the other end.

He dropped his head with a sigh before pushing himself up and into the tunnel, army crawling his way through it. When he got to the other end, he pulled himself onto his back and rolled out of the opening onto a coffin, coughing as a cloud of dust rose into the air.

"Home sweet home," he muttered, eyes sweeping over the dirty floors and walls, the chipped black coffins and the bones that littered the place. Disgust crossed his face as he looked down to see a severed arm and a pair of thick, blood covered glasses. "Sloppy Joe," he commented crudely.

A sudden noise had him shooting to his feet, in time to see a pair of hands shifting the stone slabs back into place, sealing him in. Dean fired a few shots in the person or creatures direction but missed, instead causing a large handful of dirt to fall and slid down the tunnel towards him. He ducked and covered his head.

"Oh, son of a bitch!" He growled, glaring at the dirt covered tunnel. He repeated his previous words when his phone failed to get a signal.

* * *

><p>"Is this really necessary?" Beth called, covering the window ledge in her bedroom with a large line of salt.<p>

"Yes, it'll stop anything coming in through your window," Sam called back, already occupied with nail a large piece of wood over one of the many vents in the house.

"That makes _total_ sense," she muttered sarcastically but moved onto Adam's room with the bag of salt.

When they finished covering the house in salt and wood over the vents, they met up in Adam and Beth's mom's room. Beth dropped the bag of salt carefully onto the night stand and perched herself on the window seat, being careful as to not disturb the salt line.

"All right, we've closed off all every other way into the house. If this thing's coming, it's coming through here," Sam explained, staring down at the vent that used to be covered by their mom's bed.

The door opening and closing downstairs had them sharing a cautious look before Beth stood up and edged her way over to them.

"You were saying?" Adam asked sarcastically.

"Adam? Bethany?" a familiar, feminine voice called out.

"Mom?" Adam questioned in disbelief. Beth's face lifted and her eyes lit up happily.

"No!" Sam shouted as the two of them raced for the door.

"Mom!"

"Beth! Adam!" He chased after his two younger siblings.

Beth skidded to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes growing wide as she stared at her mom. Adam's reaction was similar before his lip grew into a smile and he walked forward, Beth following at his heels.

"Mom," Beth beamed.

"Adam, Beth, wait!" Sam called.

"It took me, but I got away," Kate gasped, welcoming her twins into her arms.

"It's okay," Adam reassured her, hugging her tightly.

"You're home now- that's what matters," Beth added.

"You two, step away from her," Sam ordered, pointing a gun at Kate.

"Sam, what the hell?" Adam demanded as he pulled back from the hug.

"She's not your mother," Sam snapped.

"Bethany, who is that? What's going on?" Kate looked confused and terrified and Beth placed herself between Sam and her mom with a rush of fierce protectiveness washing over her.

* * *

><p>Dean continued to push at the door, hoping that it would break open, but to no avail. The door was stiff and unmovable from years of not being used. Giving up, he turned and examined his surroundings, brushing aside a handful of small bones with his foot as he walked further into the tomb.<p>

He walked past a skeleton with blonde hair that sat on the ground near the coffin he had landed on. He lifted the lid and gagged at the foul smell, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve. Inside the coffin lay the mutilated body of Kate Milligan, she looked peaceful, despite the fact that her body had been ripped open and her internal organs were on display.

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Kate demanded fearfully, clinging to Adam and Beth.<p>

"Get away from them," Sam ordered once again.

"It's really her, okay?" Adam said defensively.

"There was too much blood. Your mother's dead. There was too much blood in the vent," Sam argued. He attempted to grab Adam and pull him to his side but Adam latched onto the gun, yanking it from Sam and swinging it between his brother and mother nervously.

"Adam, put the gun down," Beth pleaded, ignoring the twinge of pain that erupted in her arm as her mom dug her nails into her skin.

"Adam!" Kate gasped.

"Shoot it!" Sam barked, holding his hands up.

"He's crazy, honey. It's me," Kate told Adam eagerly.

"Adam, look, that is not your mother," Sam told him. Beth yelped, stumbling back as Adam spun around, the gun pointing at her.

Sam and Kate kept on talking at Adam, trying to convince him to either shoot the creature or put the gun down. Adam's head went back and forth between them, the gun following him as he turned sharply each time they spoke.

"Baby, please," Kate begged, covering her mouth with a shaking hand.

"Shoot it. It's not human!" Sam urged.

Adam suddenly grew amused, sending a wink at Beth and Kate, which they returned. Sam was immediately confused, looking between the family with narrowed eyes.

"I know," Adam said playfully before spinning around and hitting Sam roughly with the handle of the gun, knocking him out straight away. The tall male fell to the ground with a thud and Adam shared an eager look with Beth and his mom, smiling all the while.

* * *

><p>Dean moved onto the next coffin, holding the flash light in one hand as he pried the lid open. He held a fist to his mouth, resisting the urge to vomit at the sight of Adam's torn apart body. The kid's eyes were open wide, pain and fear in them, his mouth parted in a silent gasp.<p>

Fear rose in Dean. Fear for his brother. He looked around, desperately trying to find an escape route, a way out so he could go to his brother's aid, knowing that Sam was currently in the hands of monsters, probably without any weapon to aid him.

Confusion came next, his eyes taking the number of coffins in the tomb. There were only two of them, so where was Beth's body? He spun around and noticed a large hole in the far wall, he approached it cautiously, gun out.

Dean slowly climbed into the hole, following another tunnel to a smaller, more secluded area. His feet hit the ground with a thud and he turned the flash light on, shining it on the pure white coffin that lay by the wall.

He knew immediately who was in the coffin and a part of him wanted to just leave, to find Sam. But a larger part had him approaching the coffin with trepidation.

He eased the lid up and felt his eyes widen in surprise.

* * *

><p><em>She never used to be afraid of the dark, she used to love it, making up stories of monsters creeping across the room to get her but being slain by a knight in shining armour... or in her case, an angel.<em>

_The angel she had in her mind was as tall as a tree and as bright as the sun, his pure light filling her with love and peace and warmth. He had a golden halo surrounding his head and had the most beautiful wings, at least six hundred of them. They were all covered with feathers of the purest gold, the edges tipped with white._

_She had based the angel off of what she had read about the Archangel Gabriel. He was by far her favourite... not that she knew why, after all, the angels she read about were all good and pure, but something about him drew her in and she couldn't figure out why._

_A sudden thud jolted her from her thoughts. Panic exploded within her, and she began to hyperventilate, thinking that the ghouls had come back to finally finish her off. The one that had taken on the appearance of her mother had carelessly tossed her in the coffin before she had left. She was just glad that she had managed to pull her arm to her chest before it could be shut in between the edge of the coffin and the lid._

_The lid was eased up gently, confusing her greatly; whenever the ghouls had come to her, they would torment her until she was screaming and then they would jerk the lid up and lunge. Whoever was at the other side was clearly not a ghoul- or they were and they had decided to mess with her yet again._

_She blinked rapidly against the sudden light that washed over her. A gruff voice reached her ears, but she couldn't make out what the person was saying due to the loud ringing in her ears._

_The outline of the figure reached towards her and she let out a loud, piercing scream._

* * *

><p>"Dammit!" Dean dropped the flash light, covering his right ear and using his shoulder to cover the other one as he reached down to silence the real Beth's screams. "Beth, can it!"<p>

Beth stopped screaming immediately, her breathing ragged from behind his hand. Her dull brown eyes swivelled around the tomb nervously, as if waiting for a ghoul to jump out at her.

"You're bleeding..." Dean trailed off, pulling a bandanna from his pocket. He ripped it down the middle and wrapped each half around her bleeding wrists.

"W-who?" Beth desperately tried to force herself to ask, but her throat was so dry from lack of water and screaming that it hurt to even think about speaking.

"I'm Dean. Dean Winchester," he said, as if reading her mind. "I'm gonna get you out of here."

_There's no way out, _she thought at him as she tried to stop herself from shivering. In the coffin, it had at least been slightly warm, but not by much.

"Can you stand?" he questioned, reaching out to her again. She reluctantly took hold of his hands and allowed him to help her to her feet. She swayed awkwardly, falling into him as she failed to take a first step. It had been so long since she had last walked, down here in the tomb, all she could do was crawl or drag herself along on the ground as she tried to escape the ghouls. "Is there a way out?"

Beth's eyes immediately flickered to the window above where her coffin lay, Dean followed her gaze and sighed in relief. She had, of course, attempted to get out by using the window high up on the wall, but when she had reached to pull herself up, onto the narrow window ledge, she hadn't been able to smash the window as she had nothing heavy to do it with. She had tried to kick it until it smashed, but all she managed to do was crack the glass.

Fortunately for her, Dean had a gun, which he held onto tightly as he balanced himself on the coffin and fire two shots at the glass, shattering it instantly. He jumped back down and held a hand out to her.

"Come on," he urged gently. "We have to get out of here. My brother's in danger, those things have him."

That statement made her force her trembling legs to move forward, she didn't anyone else to suffer at the hands of those monsters. Dean cupped his hands together and she braced a hand against the wall, setting her dirty foot in his palms and feeling him hoist her up effortlessly, she latched onto the ledge, pulling herself onto it as Dean took hold of her ankle and helped her pull her whole body up. Fresh air hit her immediately, surrounding her in a comforting embrace, her hair swayed in the breeze and her cracked lips pulled upwards into the first smile in days.

She eagerly sucked in a few deep breaths, clawing her way out of the window and pulling herself onto the roof. Her eyes stung and she covered her face with dirty hands, blocking out the bright moonlight as she knelt on the roof of the mausoleum. Dean pulled himself up next and she reached back, tugging at his hands until he was beside her before throwing herself onto her side and curling up into a ball, weeping openly. Joy filling her as she revelled in the idea of finally being free from her cold, dark prison.

"What's up with you?" Dean demanded, brushing off his jeans. Beth pointed wordlessly up at the sky, her eyes slowly getting used to the once familiar brightness. "Oh... right. Well, come on."

_Thank you. _She wanted to say, but the words refused to unstick themselves from her throat. _For saving my life. _

Dean made short work of climbing down from the roof and called for her to jump, which she did and he caught her in his arms and hurried towards the Impala. He deposited Beth in the back seat and climbed into the front, ignoring the part of him that was scolding him for allowing her in the car whilst she was covered in blood and dirt, but he shoved it aside, more worried about his brother than the seats that could be cleaned later.

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Dean burst into the hallway and fired, shooting the ghoul pretending to be Adam and the force knocked him against the wall. The other two ghouls stared at their brother in shock.<p>

"Dean, they're ghouls!" Sam shouted, still struggling against his restraints. Dean nodded and raised the gun, blowing Kate's head off before doing the same with ghoul that looked like Beth after pulling the locket from her neck.

The real Beth couldn't stand staying in the confinements of the Impala and clambered out, practically stumbling up to the house as she heard shots being fired. She stopped just outside of the door and peeked in nervously, seeing Dean now standing in the kitchen over a tall, dark haired male.

The ghoul looking like her twin grabbed Dean from behind, throwing him through the glass door that led to the sitting room. Beth's heart thudded in her chest, she desperately wanted to run, to put as much distance between herself and the monster in her house but she knew she couldn't leave Dean to die after he had rescued her.

She pushed the door open and slipped in noiselessly, grabbing the bat from behind the door. Before the ghoul knew what was happening, she brought the bat down on his back with shaking arms. The ghoul fell sidewards in surprise, giving Dean enough time to scramble for the gun in the kitchen.

"I knew we should've killed you while we had the chance," Adam Ghoul sneered at her before lunging. The two of them fell into the hallway with a bang and she let out a quiet shriek, struggling as he snapped his teeth at her.

"D... _Dean_!" she rasped. The ghoul's mouth closed around the still open gash on her neck and sucked on the blood that welled up as he put pressure on it. She yelped in pain, frantically trying to push away both the ghoul and memories of being fed on in the tomb.

"Get off her!" Dean barked, striking the ghoul in the head with a lamp, knocking him away from Beth.

She forced herself to her feet and darted for the kitchen at Dean's command and hurried to untie the man who was obviously Dean's brother.

"B-Beth?" Sam stared at her wide eyed. She nodded jerkily and helped him sit up, pulling the ropes from his wrists and wrapping dish towels over his bleeding wounds. "How are you alive?"

"Because, Sam, I saved her before she could bleed out," Dean answered, coming into the kitchen with blood splattered hands and t-shirt.

Black spots suddenly covered Beth's vision and she swayed slightly, raising a shaking hand to her head. Dean and Sam both seemed to be speaking to her but she couldn't make out what they were saying. A ragged breath escaped as she sank to her knees and passed out, tipping over onto her side.

* * *

><p>As Beth remained unconscious and her brothers rushed her to the hospital before going back to clear the house of evidence of the ghouls and give Adam a hunter's burial, she dreamt. She dreamed about when her and her brother came back to Windom to find there mom, and instead, became the meal and entertainment for a family of ghouls.<p>

_"So you haven't heard anything from her?" Beth ran a shaking hand through her messy hair as she stood on the porch of Mrs Gregory's house._

_"No, I haven't," Mrs Gregory replied kindly. "I thought I heard a struggle coming from upstairs so I called the cops and they searched the house, but it was empty. They're keeping an eye out for her though, one of the other nurses also called the cops."_

_"Okay. Thanks for your time." Beth stepped off of the porch and smiled tightly._

_"It's no problem dear." Mrs Gregory waved once before closing the door._

_"What did she say?" Adam asked as she re-entered their house and kicked the door shut._

_"She heard a struggle coming from upstairs and called the cops; apparently they had already been alerted of mom's absence by her supervisor at the hospital, they searched the house but it was empty," Beth sighed wearily as she slumped onto the couch._

_"We should look ourselves," Adam muttered and yanked her up, pulling her up the stairs and into their mom's room. The night stand was still on its side with their mom's photo of John, the lamp and a few books lying a few feet away. _

_"There's nothing here, Adam," she told him with a frown. _

_"Look in the other rooms. There's gotta be some clue as to where she's gone," Adam ordered and she nodded, leaving the room and heading to her own room._

_Beth searched through her leftover books and magazines, searching for a note, anything that could led them to their mom. She headed to the closet after finding nothing in the pages of her small collection. As she tugged her old blanket down from the shelf in her closet, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor._

**_You'll never find her. She's dead and you're next. _**

_Beth's hand shook as she stared down at the bold letters, running her fingers over the still drying ink... or what she thought was ink. When she rubbed her fingertips together, she slowly realized that it was blood and not ink._

_"A-Adam!" she yelled._

_"What?" he snapped, appearing in the doorway. Beth held the note out to him without a word, Adam took it, eyes skimming over the words quickly. "Where did you find this?"_

_"In my closet, on the shelf." Her lip trembled and her eyes watered. Adam pulled her into his side, scrunching the note up and throwing it on the floor. "She's dead... isn't she?"_

_"No. No, she can't be," Adam shook his head and turned, preparing on herding her out of the room when his eyes landed on two figures standing in the hallway. "Beth, get behind me."_

_Beth did as she was told, stepping behind him, which placed her beside her closet and she slowly reached in and grabbed the bat she'd taken from her brother years earlier._

_"Here," she whispered. Adam reached out to take it at the same moment that the figures in the hall lunged, tackling them to the ground._

_Beth yelped, struggling against the deformed being that latched on to her legs and began dragging her back towards her mom's room. Adam was in the same position, trying to fight off the creature as it snapped at his throat with razor sharp teeth._

_"Adam!" Beth screamed, before everything went silent._


	5. Ohana means family

_**'Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.' **_

_**- Lilo and Stitch.**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>April 25th 2009<em>**

**_Windom, Minnesota_**

Dean sat beside a motionless Beth, watching as she inhaled and exhaled harshly around the oxygen tube that had been stuck down her throat. He rubbed at his mouth and chin roughly and sighed as her fingers twitched yet again, her nails brushing against the back of his hand.

Beth had been unconscious for three days and in that time the doctors had carefully inserted an IV drip into the vein in the crook of her elbow, Sam and Dean had been forced to wait in the cafeteria as the doctors and nurses worked on stitching up each of her wounds, their confusion obvious at the human bite marks on her side and shoulder. The cut on her neck had been cleaned and covered with gauze when decided that it wouldn't require stitches, the rest of her wounds -however- did.

Sam had gone back to the motel about two hours ago on Dean's orders to get some sleep, because apparently staying up for three nights in a row only affected Sam and not his brother. He'd gone willingly though, eager to get a shower and a bite to eat... and to get away from the sound of his half sister's ragged breathing and the fact that he'd let down another person because he hadn't been able to discover what the ghouls actually were until the last minute. And now Beth lay in hospital, encased in numerous bandages with ghostly white skin and dark bruises littering her face and Adam was dead, he was now nothing more than a pile of ash whilst what remained of their mom lay on a cold slab in the morgue.

"Beth, you need to wake up," Dean coaxed as he hesitantly squeezed her hand, his calloused fingers surrounding her slender ones, "now's not the time for taking a nap."

The blonde nurse -Elena- stood behind him, smiled sadly and patted his shoulder sympathetically as she read Beth's chart before replacing the almost empty IV bag with a new, full one and left the room to give him privacy.

"I'm serious princess, you need to get your lazy ass up."

"Like she's gonna respond to that," Sam said from the doorway, making Dean jerk his head up in surprise.

"You never know," Dean replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"She'll wake up when she's ready." Sam dropped into the empty chair beside his brother and pushed a wet strand of hair from his face.

"Who knows when that will be," Dean mumbled. He pushed himself to feet and headed for the door, glancing back only once to tell Sam that he was going to get some coffee and would return later, unaware of what was going on in his half sister's head.

* * *

><p><em>Beth's eyes snapped open, brown orbs trailing over the bright white ceiling curiously as she attempted to recall the last thing that had happened to her, only to come up blank. She slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows, realising she was lying on a vintage, deep blue, velvet chaise longue with a cushion placed gently beneath her hair.<em>

_"...Hello?" she called, surprised at how melodic her voice sounded. She climbed to her feet, eyes widening at the ankle length, burgundy dress she wore; the bodice and the skirt was covered in sequins, it had thick, spaghetti straps and an open back that stretched down to the middle of her spine._

_"Ah, little dove. It's nice to see you up and about." The sudden voice had her jumping in surprise, the burgundy skirt whirling around her ankles and showing off her bare feet._

_"Let me guess, Gabe sent you?" she questioned, resting her hands on her hips._

_"Who else?" he raised his hands in a 'you got me' gesture. He smirked widely as he conjured two glasses of whisky from the bar in the corner of the room and held one out to her._

_"Thank you." She accepted the glass without a second thought and gulped down the liquid, wincing at the burn in her throat. _

_"How have you been, my little dove?" the tanned male set his glass down and wrapped his arms around her from behind, surrounding her with his unnatural warmth._

_"Well, my mom and my brother were torn apart by _ghouls _and I was made to watch," she answered sarcastically. She tossed the glass into the air, watching as it spiralled towards the ground and disappeared before it could shatter. She huddled back into his chest as the cool air caused goosebumps to appear on her arms._

_"Yes, I heard about that. How unfortunate," he said, not unkindly. Beth turned her head to meet his eyes and frowned curiously._

_"How did you know?" He set his chin on her shoulder and smirked widely at her. Beth sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to answer her and rested her forehead against his temple. "I guess it's just another thing I don't need to know?"_

_"You got that right," he returned as he tightened his grip on her. If it had been any other man, she would've been struggling to get out of their hold but she'd know him just as long as Gabe and she trusted them both with her life._

_"Do I have to wake up?" Her eyes flickered to the ceiling-to-floor glass walls and watched the waves crashing down onto the shore below. "I want to stay here forever."_

_"I know you do," he said softly, "but you have people waiting for you."_

_Beth turned around in his hold and put her hands on his chest. "I don't want to go back. You and Gabe are the only ones I have left."_

_"We both know that's not true," he murmured, "you have those two apes."_

_"But I don't know them," she argued immediately. She closed her eyes and tried to stop herself from crying. "I don't need them."_

_"Yes you do... more than you know." He stroked a finger down her cheek, catching the tear that escaped._

_"I'm gonna miss you," she admitted._

_"It's not like you'll never see me again." He cupped her face in his large hands. "But it's time to wake up."_

_"Please... please don't make me go," she begged and gripped his shirt tightly in her hands. _

_His lips twitched sadly, clearly torn between giving in and letting her stay and forcing her to wake up. Eventually, the latter won and he drew her in, pressing a kiss to her lips._

_"Wake up."_

* * *

><p>Beth's eyes snapped open and a loud gasp escaped, filling the previously quiet room. Dean shot up at the noise and turned to his youngest sibling, he took a hesitant step towards her.<p>

"B-Beth?"

Beth let out a strangled breath and began tugging at the oxygen tube in her throat. Dean lurched forward and grabbed her hands tightly, preventing her from hurting herself as he called for a nurse.

"Beth, I need you to calm down," Nurse Elena told the brunette. Elena turned to Dean and gestured him to come back over. "Can you calm her down?"

"Uh, okay... sure," Dean cleared his throat and took hold of Beth's hand again. "Beth. I need you to _calm_ down, the nurse needs to get the tube out."

Beth's brown orbs locked on him and she seemed to recognise him after a few moments. Her hands shook in his as she nodded jerkily and let out another gasp. Nurse Elena smiled in satisfaction and gently eased the tube out, replacing it with an oxygen mask.

"Thank you," Dean told the nurse.

"It's no problem, Dean," Elena patted his shoulder and left the room to inform the doctor that Beth was awake.

"D... Dean?" Beth winced at the ache in her throat. She glanced down in surprise as her fingers tightened around his when he attempted to pull away.

"Hey princess." Dean ruffled her hair gently, mindful of the bruises on her face.

"Can I have some water?" she asked slowly.

Dean filled a glass from the unit beside her bed with water and handed it to her, watching as she raised it to her lips with a weak, shaking hand and took a small sip, followed quickly by a large gulp and she finished the glass in seconds flat.

"Wow, easy," Dean said, helping her into a sitting position as she began to cough roughly.

"W... where's your brother?" she asked the moment her coughing fit ended.

"He's around," Dean answered vaguely.

Beth nodded in acceptance, eyes roaming around the room, taking in the sterilised hospital equipment, the medium sized TV on the far wall and the thin but comfortable bed she lay in.

"What... what about my mom? A-and Adam?" she asked, painfully aware of the pitying look Dean gave her. "They... they're really dead."

"I'm sorry," Dean offered but she shook her head.

"I-it's not your fault," she said.

Beth pulled the blankets tighter around her body and rolled over to face the window, her back to Dean. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried in vain to control the sobs that tore up her throat and shook her body. Dean hovered in the background, unsure what he should do, if he should comfort her or leave to give her space. The former eventually won and he set a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. He didn't struggle as she reached back and pulled his hand to her, encasing it with both of hers and holding it tightly for comfort.

"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere," he promised, it was the least he could do, after all, her family was dead and though she didn't know it, Dean and Sam were all she had left. "We won't forget about you," he whispered lowly so she wouldn't hear him, he just hoped she would be able to forgive them for leaving her so soon after her mom and twin had died.


	6. A new beginning

**_"It's not the goodbye that hurts, but the flashbacks that follow." _**

**_- Unknown._**

* * *

><p><em>"Adam!" Beth called, chasing after her twin.<em>

_It was two weeks after they had turned 7 and the two of them were playing tag in the back yard. Beth was the catcher once again, simply because Adam was faster and always caught her quickly, meaning the game ended sooner than they would both like._

_"You can't catch me!" Adam yelled back, grinning as he darted around a large oak tree. Beth let out a tired whine as she followed his footsteps, circling the tree with as much speed as she could muster._

_"You're not playing fair! You know I can't run as fast as you!"_

_"That's exactly why you're the catcher; because you can't catch me as easily as I can catch you." _

_"You suck!" Beth insulted, though she couldn't restrain the smile that spread across her face as he tripped over his shoe lace, and landed heavily on the ground. _

_She rushed over and pounced, knocking him back to the ground as he attempted to get up. She sat on his back and beamed proudly._

_"I win."_

_"Yeah – this time," Adam snorted and tried to shove her off. "Don't think it'll happen again, loser."_

* * *

><p>"Hi Sam," Beth greeted quietly, pulled from her flash back as the tall man walked into her room.<p>

"Hey, Beth." Sam took the seat by her bed and handed the jug of pineapple juice to her as she reached for it. "What'd the doctors say?"

"I'm getting released this afternoon. They said I'll have to apply antiseptic ointment to my cuts every morning and night for a couple weeks."

"That's good news," Sam told her with a silly face, attempting to encourage her to smile. He succeed, but only because she thought he was an idiot.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do," she whispered. Her eyes lowering and gazing intently at the fluffy grey blanket Dean had taken from her house at her request. "I can't go back to that house."

"Do you have any other relatives you can stay with?" he asked gently, pity on his face.

"I have some cousins in Montauk," she answered thoughtfully, "but I doubt they'll welcome me there."

"Why'd you say that?" Dean asked from the doorway.

"Mom's brother – my uncle, he… he didn't exactly approve of the fact that mom had me and Adam out of wedlock," she explained. Shivers ran down her spine at the thought of her tough, intimidating uncle who made her freeze whenever he so much as looked at her. "And he made sure we all knew it."

Sam frowned at that, turning his eyes onto Dean, who seemed to see something in his baby brother's eyes that immediately had him shaking his head in disagreement. Sam ignored him, returning to his previous position.

"Beth, we, uh… we have something we need to tell you."

"Sammy, no," Dean warned softly. Beth glanced between them in confusion.

"What is it?"

"We're your brothers," Sam admitted. He paid no attention to Dean as he exhaled harshly and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "John Winchester was our father too."

* * *

><p><strong>(15 minutes later)<strong>

Beth continued to stare out of the window, her eyes locked on the rain that continued to fall without stopping. Dean and Sam shared an equally concerned look before their gazes were drawn back to Beth as she roughly dragged a hand through her messy hair.

"Why didn't you tell me? Before; when I first woke up – you could've told me." She sent an accusing look at Dean. He simply raised an eyebrow in response, not willing to enter into a fight with her.

"We didn't think you'd believe us," Sam admitted, and he shrugged.

"Y-you didn't think I'd _believe_ you?" she asked incredulously. "I was kidnapped by ghouls and then forced to watch as they tore my family apart. I think I'd believe anything right now."

"Oh really?" Dean said sarcastically. "I doubt it princess. You don't know jack squat about what's really out there and you certainly wouldn't believe us."

Beth stared at him in shock, wondering why he gone from being incredibly kind to her to treating her like she was something disgusting on the bottom of his shoe.

"What the hell is your problem?" she demanded as she pushed herself up against the pillows behind her.

"If you _really _knew what was out there, you would be hiding under your bed," Dean answered sharply. "There are worse things out there than ghouls. Those three creeps were just the beginning of a long list of monsters."

"Like what?" she challenged, raising her head and sticking her chin out defiantly.

"You really wanna know?" Dean's eyebrow rose in disbelief but he acquiesced without protest. "There are demons, werewolves, vampires, witches, tricksters, angels…"

"Wait, _angels_?" she barked in amusement. "Why are angels on your list of _bad guys_?"

"Because they're emotionless dicks who follow orders without question," Dean said dismissively. "Especially the couple we've seen in the last few weeks."

"You've met angels?" She looked to Sam with wide, excited eyes.

"Three of them actually," Sam smiled at her amazement. "Only two of them were decent though."

"What are their names?" She ignored Dean's disgruntled look in favour of shifting closer to Sam.

"Castiel, Uriel and Anna," he replied. "Or as she was once known as; Anael."

"So you've met the angel of Thursday, an archangel and the angel of love?" Beth nodded slowly. "That is _so _cool."

"You are one weird kid," Dean scoffed and sat back in his chair, not even bothering to tell her that Uriel wasn't actually an archangel, that the books had gotten it wrong.

"Whatever." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"We should go back to the motel," Sam said to Dean as he stood up.

"Good idea. I need to pick up some pie," Dean agreed and headed out the door.

"When will you be back?" Beth asked hesitantly.

"We'll come back this afternoon to pick you up," Sam assured her, squeezing her shoulder gently. Beth set her hand over his, holding it tightly.

"Thanks Sam."

"I'll see you later, _princess_," he teased, using Dean's nickname for her.

"Get outta here!" she laughed and tossed a pillow at him.

Sam chuckled and set the pillow back on the bed before leaving, waving once as he disappeared out the door. Beth smiled as she leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling rather tired. She was out like a light, breathing softly as she slowly began dreaming about the happy memories she had with her mom and twin.

* * *

><p>Beth was jerked away by a hand shaking her shoulder roughly. She opened her eyes slowly and turned her head to the right, her gaze landing on a reasonably tall woman with deep red hair and wide hazel eyes.<p>

"Who the hell are you?" Beth demanded, before reaching out for the call button next to her. The stranger grasped her wrist tightly, preventing her from calling for a nurse.

"You won't be needing that – I won't hurt you."

"Look lady, I won't ask again, you better give a name _now_."

"Anna. My name is Anna," the red head answered with an amused raising of her eyebrows.

"…You're the angel Sam and Dean protected," Beth said in realization. She released her hold on the call button and Anna finally removed her hand from Beth's wrist.

"That I am."

"Why are you in my room?"

"I need you to come with me," Anna explained simply as she headed to the window and peeked out of the closed blinds.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you're in danger and I can't let them take you."

"I'm in_ danger_?" Beth asked dubiously. "From who?"

"I can't tell you… not right now, anyway." Anna turned back to her, allowing a gentle smile to cross her face. "Will you come with me willingly?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Beth countered. Anna shook her head.

"You do not. But I would prefer it if you were willing."

"What about Sam and Dean? What will I tell them?"

"It's better if you don't tell them anything, they'll be safer if they have no knowledge of your whereabouts," Anna replied and she watched as Beth jumped as a pile of clothes appeared on her lap.

"I'll just go get dressed." Beth shrugged and removed the wires that attached her to the heart monitor. She shoved her blanket aside and slowly slipped out of the bed, feeling the bandaged gash on her stomach ache at the movement, she held a hand against the wound, using her other hand to cradle the clothes to her chest as she shuffled to the bathroom and closed the door quietly.

Anna waited patiently, sitting in a chair and watching the doorway with intense eyes as doctors and nurses walked by every couple of seconds. Beth reappeared about five minutes later, wearing a deep blue coloured tank top, a loose, dark grey coloured sweater, a pair of boot cut jeans and her floral print, pink doc marten boots. Her brown leather jacket covered the sweater she wore.

"I'm ready," Beth said as she grabbed her locket, clasping it around her neck and taking her fluffy blanket into her arms. "Can we stop past my house first? I need clothes and stuff if I'm to be accompanying you on a road trip."

"Sure." Anna set a hand on Beth's shoulders and led her out of the room, stopping at the reception desk to get the human discharged. As soon as Beth had signed the discharge papers, they left the hospital and Anna guided her to a nearby alleyway before teleporting away from the hospital, leaving the sound of fluttering wings behind.

* * *

><p>Sam led the way through the corridors, a cup of pineapple juice in one hand and a bag of Beth's clothes and various belongings in the other. Dean followed after him, winking at a dark haired nurse with stormy grey eyes as he passed her.<p>

"Uh, Dean," Sam said as he reached Beth's hospital room.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Beth – she's not here," Sam answered, eyes flickering around the empty room in surprise.

"What d'you mean she's not here?" Dean demanded, barging past Sam. "Where the hell is she?"

"Maybe a nurse has seen her," Sam suggested and left the room, Dean hot on his heels as he headed for the reception desk. "Excuse me?"

The middle aged receptionist looked up and smiled politely, recognising them from when they would come in to visit one of the patients. "How can I help you, boys?"

"Have you seen Beth Milligan?" Dean questioned, leaning against the desk. "She's not in her room."

"The patient from room 506?" she asked and began searching through a pile of files when they nodded in unison. "…It says she was discharged about an hour ago."

"What – a doctor discharged her?"

"No. She discharged herself," the blonde woman replied. "Her and her friend seemed in a hurry when they left."

"Her friend?" Sam repeated, glancing at Dean. "What friend?"

"Um… I'm not actually sure. I'll get Nurse Stevens; she was the one to discharge her." The woman left quickly, striding down the corridor and disappearing around the corner.

"She left with a _friend_?" Dean turned to Sam, his expression suspicious. "And never bothered calling to tell us?"

"It does seem odd, she never mentioned that a friend would be coming to get her," Sam frowned. "Especially when she knew we were gonna pick her up."

"Dean," Nurse Stevens – Elena – smiled deeply at the sight of the sandy blonde male. "I'm told you need some information. What can I help you with?"

"You discharged Beth, right?" Dean asked immediately.

"Yeah, I did, at about one o'clock," Elena replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The receptionist said she was with someone, what did the person look like?" Sam input.

"Well, it was a woman, a couple of years older than Beth, I think," Elena recalled, guiding them towards the chairs lined up against the wall so they weren't in the way. "She had deep red hair and hazel eyes."

"What was she wearing?"

"Uh… a white blouse and a pair of boot cut jeans and a green jacket." Elena looked between the two males with narrowed eyes. "Why are you asking?"

"…Beth failed to mention that a _friend _would be picking her up," Sam explained.

"You think she was being forced to leave?" Elena asked. "Because the red head looked strong, but not that strong. Even against an injured Beth."

"We don't know what to think," Dean admitted with a shrug. "We just wanna find Beth."

"If it helps, I did hear Beth tell the other woman that she wanted to go back to her house – to get clothes and such," Elena offered as she stood up. "I think I heard her mention something about a road trip."

"Thanks for your time," Sam said genuinely before she walked off.

"Looks like we're going back to the house," Dean decided. He stormed off towards the door and Sam was quick to follow.

* * *

><p>"This is a nice place," Anna admitted, walking back into Beth's room.<p>

"Thank you," Beth replied quietly. She sent one glance at Anna before going back to packing.

"I, uh, I heard what happened to your mom and brother – I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"If I could bring them back, I would," Anna said honestly.

"I don't want you to," Beth answered immediately.

"Why not?" Anna frowned, folding another shirt and placing it in the duffel bag.

"Because as much as I want them back, I know they're in heaven," Beth exhaled deeply. "Why would I want to bring them back? Why would I allow my selfish need to be around them again control me? I know that where they are now, it's… it's a better place than earth. I know they're happy up there and I would only cause pain on them – and myself if I were to destroy that happiness."

Anna was silent, taking in her words with surprised eyes. "You… are a very selfless person," she said finally. "Most people would want a loved one back, no matter what."

"I'm not selfless," Beth scoffed, zipping up the bag. "I just lay there, sobbing while my family were torn apart – I did nothing to save them. So don't call me selfless."

"It wasn't your fault," Anna told her gently, resting her hand on the brunette's shoulder.

Beth's lips twitched into a sad, half smile at the angel's words and she shook her head, picking the bag up with one hand and reaching out for her photo album of her, Adam, her mom and her dad and cradling it to her chest.

"Let's go."

Anna pursed her lips but nodded, taking a hold of her shoulder and teleporting them from the house just as Sam and Dean picked the lock on the front door and hurried inside, closing it behind them.

The two of them were unaware that they were already too late and Beth was gone.


	7. First Encounters

**_Atlanta, Georgia_**

**_May 2nd_****_, 2009_**

Beth stumbled after Anna, wiping the sleep from her eyes as the red head led her down the empty road in the direction of a deserted gas station. The two of them had decided to take Beth and Adam's truck so Beth would be able to catch some sleep on their road trip… and because Beth wasn't that fond of teleporting – it left her feeling dizzy and nauseas afterwards. It was just their luck that the truck had decided to run out of gas, in the middle of nowhere.

"Slow down," Beth whined, struggling to keep up with the angel's fast pace.

"You should hurry up," Anna countered without pause, "the longer we're out in the open, the more likely we are to be attacked."

"By what? There's nothing around for miles," Beth argued as she finally caught up to her companion.

"That doesn't matter, they can find us no matter where we are."

"Who? Your brothers and sisters?" she asked mockingly, receiving a glare from Anna before she trekked across the road and towards the station.

"And more." Anna pushed the door open and stepped inside, heading straight to the counter as Beth went to the right, eyeing the products on the shelves curiously.

As Anna spoke to the man behind the counter, Beth opened the fridge at the back of the station and pulled out a bottle of water. Beth turned around and was about to walk back over to Anna when another two men walked in, locking the door behind them. She let out a strangled gasp as their eyes flickered a pitch black, the colour standing out against their tanned skin.

"Anna!" Beth cried out, and the red head spun around, dodging to the side to avoid being stabbed by a shiny silver blade.

"They're demons!" Anna shouted, jumping away from the black eyed men and helping the station owner duck under the counter.

Beth' eyes widened in fear as the taller of the two turned on her, charging at her and sending her flying back into the fridge, the glass down smashed under her weight, and the shelves fell down, sending water bottles rolling across the floor.

"Let go of me!" she screamed as he grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and tossed her aside, she collided with the wall, hitting her still bruised face against the rough brick work.

"Beth!" Anna threw herself at the other demon, pulling out her angel blade and raising it to stab him. She plunged it into his chest and watched as his skeleton flickered with light before extinguishing as he fell to the floor.

In the next few seconds, the small station was swarming with at least ten demons, half going for Anna, some going for the human man under the counter and the rest going after Beth. Anna was doing well at holding her own, seeing as she had been raised to be a soldier and knew exactly how to fight, Beth however, had no experience in fighting, she tended to stay away from fights and so she simply cowered away from the demons, trying to fend them off with a piece of broken glass.

Anna suddenly cried out in pain, holding a hand against her side as blood and grace seeped out of it. Beth scrambled to her feet, not even thinking as she shoved her way through the crowd of men, and brought the long shard of glass down on the back of the tall woman towering over her friend. The woman shrieked and her body flickered, slumping to the floor.

"Give me your blade-thingy!" Beth ordered and Anna hesitated before weakly holding it out to her. She took it and spun around, holding it in front of her pathetically.

"You can't win against us, kiddo," a female with wavy brown hair said, smirking at her. "You'll die trying."

"Then I'll die trying," she replied and threw herself forward without hesitation, swinging left and right with the blade, stabbing and slicing clumsy as she made her way through the group. Anna joined her moments later, using her grace to smite the demons in bursts of bright, bluish-white light.

Beth's eyes widened in pain as a hand closed around her wrist and yanked it back, the sound of bones snapping filled the air, followed promptly by her agonized screams. She fell to her knees, her hand still in the woman's vice tight grasp. The brunette winked at Beth teasingly as she ripped the angel blade from her hand and tossed it across the room. She grabbed Beth and yanked her up before throwing her across the station and through the door.

Beth landed heavily on her back, surrounded by pieces of broken glass and wood. Her body felt numb, along with her mind as she lay there, the sun beating down on her face.

"Oh, come on princess," the brunette pouted down at her, "don't tell me that that's all you've got… I expected more from a Winchester."

"Screw you," Beth gasped as she was yanked into a sitting position by the lapels of her jacket.

"Maybe another time, sugar." The brunette brought her fist down on Beth's face and her head snapped to the side. A dazed look crossed Beth's face as she tried to clear the black spots from her vision. Just as the demon woman was about to bring her fist down on Beth again, a blade was shoved into her back, the tip sticking out of her stomach. She screamed loudly, her body jerking forward before she vanished into thin air.

"T-thanks," Beth breathed, staring up at Anna's face with a weak smile.

"We have to go – there are angels coming." Anna attempted to pull Beth to her feet, but Beth cried out, struggling against her friend. "Beth… your back…"

"What?" Beth demanded, tears springing to her eyes as pain erupted in her back and shoulders.

"There's glass and wood stuck in it," Anna whispered. She pulled her arm back to reveal a blood stained hand. "I need to get it out."

"You don't have time," Beth argued and got Anna to help her to her feet. The red head supported her weight as they stumbled back towards the station. "You need to get out of here, and take that man with you, just get away from here."

"Why do you seem to think I'm gonna leave you behind?" Anna questioned as she propped Beth against the doorframe, before the brunette slid down into a sitting position.

"B-because Sam told me that the angels want you dead – I'll hold them off, but you need to get away from here."

Anna looked torn, glancing between the injured teenage girl and the unconscious man in front of the counter. "I'll return as soon as they're gone."

"You better, loser," Beth laughed weakly.

Anna joined in on the laughing for a few minutes before approaching the middle-aged man and lifting him up, slinging his arm around her shoulders. She looked back towards Beth, sharing a mutual look of understanding.

"See ya soon, _Ariel_." She saluted her friend. Anna nodded and disappeared, just as the sound of two pairs of wings filled the air.

* * *

><p>"They're all dead," a male voice stated from inside the station.<p>

"No shit, Sherlock," Beth called weakly. A second later, two men appeared, towering over her.

"Bethany Milligan." Beth looked up, taking in the tousled, dark brown haired male. He was wearing a suit and a beige trench-coat, his deep blue tie was back to front. Her gaze moved to his face and she was met with a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. They were beautiful.

"It's just Beth," she corrected, shifting slightly. Her face clouded with pain as one of the numerous piece of glass dug into her back. "Who are you?"

"I'm Castiel, I'm An-"

"You're an Angel of the Lord," she interrupted, deepening her voice to imitate his. "They told me you would say that if I met you."

"How did those demons die?" Castiel questioned as he crouched beside her.

"I totally kicked their asses," she lied with a wide grin. "It was _awesome_."

She was being truthful, to an extent, she had gotten two of them, and Anna had gotten the others. She turned her head away and looked at the other male, he had light brown hair and blue eyes that were a shade lighter than Castiel's.

"Who is he?"

"Samandriel," Castiel said, his gravelly voice drifting over her.

"Well, s'nice to meet you," she slurred, her lips as pale as her face.

"What is wrong with her?" The younger looking one – Samandriel – peered at her curiously.

"One of them threw me through the door," she explained and struggled to sit forward to show them the bloody mess that was her back.

Castiel held a hand over her back and a glowing light shone from it. Warmth washed over her back, seeping into her skin and filling her entire being.

"The hell was that?" she asked in awe as the scratches on her arms and hands – the wounds she'd received from the ghouls – disappeared before her very eyes. It was almost as if they'd never been there in the first place. The pain from her head and back vanished too, leaving no trace that she'd been attacked.

"I healed you," Castiel explained and stood up. Beth scrambled to her feet, rubbing her bare arms as a cool breeze surrounded them.

"Why?"

"Because it was an order," he answered. He tilted his head to the side, assessing her through narrowed eyes.

Beth quickly grew uncomfortable with his staring and turned her back on him, heading back into the gas station and picking up a bottle of water. She uncapped it and started gulping down the cool liquid.

"Did no one tell you it's rude to stare?" she demanded as she spun around to face them, annoyance clear on her face.

"I have heard of that saying before," Castiel agreed. He stepped through the door, Samandriel following after him and glass cracked beneath their feet as they stopped. "Though I don't understand why it would be considered rude if you're staring to figure someone out or if you require answers that they won't give and it makes them uncomfortable."

Beth gazed at him, a vacant look on her face. "You are _so _weird."

"Is… is that a compliment?" Samandriel asked in confusion. Beth's eyes flickered to him before she moved away from them. She grabbed a plastic carrier bag from under the counter and filled it with a couple of water bottles and some candy bars.

"Are you planning on stealing those items?"

"No, I'm gonna eat the candy bars and then put them back," Beth retorted sarcastically. At their clueless looks, she frowned. "I'm not a_ thief, _I'll leave some money under the till." She pulled some notes out of her pocket and slipped it under the corner of the till. "_Pft, _some people just can't take a joke."

"Are you finished?" Beth nodded before stopping. She turned to them slowly.

"Why do you want to know?"

"We are supposed to take you back to your brothers," Samandriel explained with a smile.

"Hell no, I am not going anywhere without-" Beth was cut off as two warm fingers were placed against her forehead and she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a medium sized motel room, swaying slightly from the sudden shock of teleporting.

"_Beth_?"

"Oh… hey?" She smiled nervously at the two men staring at her in shock.

* * *

><p>"So… explain it again," Dean ordered, perched on the end of his bed.<p>

"I've told you _three times _already," Beth grumbled, sprawled out on the couch.

"Just humour him," Sam sighed. He had stopped listening when she told them what had happened the second time around.

"_Fine_. I was woken up by Anna in my hospital room and she told me I needed to go with her, and that she had to protect me because I was danger and she couldn't let someone or other take me." Beth stretched her legs out in the air, holding them there as she turned her head and grinned at Dean. "We stopped at a gas station in Atlanta, where we were attacked and then Anna took the owner of the station away and I met Castiel and Samandriel and then Cas healed me and sent me back here."

"Okay, maybe one more time-" Dean cut off with a laugh as Beth threw her boot at him.

"You're an ass!" Beth stretched her neck in her other brother's direction. "Sam! Dean's an ass!"

"I know – I deal with him every day," Sam snorted. He sent a wink at Beth, who chuckled in response.

"Hey! I'm a joy to be around," Dean argued.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Beth put her legs down before raising her arms. She let out a moan of discomfort as Dean suddenly grasped her arm, pulling it towards him roughly. "What are you _doing_?"

"Your arms – they're completely healed."

"Oh yeah, Cas did it." She shrugged the best she could whilst lying down. "Perks of being an angel I guess."

"Hey Beth, what did you think of him?" Sam asked curiously.

"Well… he seemed nice. A little clueless about sarcasm and all that but he was nice," she answered. "Nothing like what Dean described him to be like."

"He was an ass – he would've killed Anna without blinking, even though she's his sister."

Beth sat up and turned to look at him. "Dean… you do know that angels are warriors of God? They follow orders without question because that's how they were made. They're not like us, they don't understand emotions the way we do."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I used to love reading about angels and God," she admitted reluctantly. "In some books they're depicted as fluffy, cloud hopping, harp players and in Anna's words 'angels have no free will. They're cold, hard like a statue, they do what they're told and don't question it.'"

Dean pursed his lips but nodded his head, seemingly accepting her words, even though he clearly wanted to say something in response to it but decided not to when she let out a long yawn and her head hit the cushion with a light smack.

"I'm so tired," she whined lowly.

"Then get some sleep," Dean countered.

"Okay boss." She saluted at him and rolled over onto her side, her back to the other occupants of the room. She was asleep within minutes, the day's events finally catching up to her.

Sam and Dean had no idea that Beth had killed two beings that afternoon and she didn't know what she was supposed to do about it or if she should tell her brothers. One thing was for certain, she knew that she wouldn't be getting over it any time soon.

What she had done would live with her for years to come.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's note - Here's the next chapter of Unbreakable! I hope you enjoy it. The one after this will be 4x20 - The Rapture. <strong>_

_**Beth's gonna be confused at first because she doesn't know that Jimmy is Cas's vessel, so when they meet, she thinks Sam and Dean have put him up to it and they're making fun of her until it's explained to her that Jimmy's a vessel.**_


	8. The Rapture

**_'I'm coming home, _**

**_From all the places, I have been,_**

**_With nothing but a voice within,_**

**_That calls me... Calls me home.'_**

**_- Calls me home, Shannon LaBrie._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Windom, Minnesota<em>**

**_May 3rd, 2009_**

After Beth had told Dean and Sam what her and Anna had gotten up to and had gotten some sleep, she'd decided to go back to her house, wanting to see it one last time before she left with her new brothers. She didn't expect Dean to go nuts though, and drag her back to the motel room they'd been staying in for days, calling her stupid and reckless and out-of-her-mind. She let him get it out of his system before telling him that if he'd just phoned her this could all have been avoided and he wouldn't have been overreacting. After telling him this, she took the empty bed by the door and went about ignoring him, drifting off to sleep.

Beth let out a whine, slapping at Dean's hand as he tried to push her out of the bed. Apparently he'd had a dream about Castiel and the trench coat clad angel had told him to meet him at some address, and Dean had spent the last ten minutes trying to force Beth to get up but she was unwilling and just as stubborn as could be.

"Go without me," she moaned, burrowing under the warmth of the comforter. "I'll be fine."

"One, we're not leaving you behind–who knows what sort of trouble you'd get yourself into," Dean held up one finger before raising another, "and two, you're wasting time, Castiel could be in trouble and instead of being out of the road going to the location he gave, I'm stuck here trying to get your lazy ass out of bed."

"_Ugh_, fine." She pushed the comforter back–shivering as the cold air attacked her bare legs–and dragged herself out of the bed, grabbing her clothes and heading for the bathroom.

"Who knew that having a sister could be such hard work?" Dean said to Sam. His younger brother chuckled in response as he continued to pack away the rest of his belongings. "She's a spoilt brat."

"I heard that!" Beth yelled from the bathroom.

"You were meant to, princess," Dean called back.

Five minutes later, Beth exited the bathroom, slipping her night shirt and shorts into her bag and pulling her shoes on. She tugged her hair up into messy bun before following them out the door and across the lot towards the Impala.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the trio had arrived at an abandoned factory just outside of Windom. Dean and Sam stood around the trunk and grabbed a shotgun each and a flash light. Sam took an extra flash light out and passed it to Beth, who thanked him quietly.<p>

"I don't like this place," she whispered, following them down a cold, wet corridor. She kept her flash light pointed at the ground to make sure she wouldn't trip over anything.

"Suck it up, princess."

"What did he say Dean? What was so important?" Sam asked curiously.

"If I knew, would I be here?"

Beth jumped as something sparked above her head as she made her way up the metal staircase. The scene in front of her was shocking, it looked as though something had exploded, sending a variety of pipes and other junk in all directions.

"It looks like a bomb went off," she whispered to Sam. He nodded his agreement.

"There was a fight here," Dean concluded, walking ahead of them.

"Between who?"

"Hey, check it out." Dean pointed towards a large, red drawing on the wall behind them.

"The hell is that?" Beth demanded.

"It's a sigil, like the one Anna used to banish Cas and that other one," Sam explained.

"Why is it here then? W-was Castiel fighting other angels or something?"

"I dunno, looks like it," Dean said.

Beth walked a few steps ahead of them, catching sight of a figure in the corner of her vision. She turned towards it, and recognized the man immediately. Dropping her flash light, she sprinted towards him, dropping to her knees and shaking him.

"Cas?" she called, patting his cheek. "Castiel?"

Dean jerked her backwards just as Cas shot up and nearly head butted her. She pulled away from Dean and crouched down to steady a confused Castiel.

"Wha-what's going on?" he questioned, looking at her.

"Hey, it's okay. Calm down," she soothed as he glanced around wildly before pushing himself to his feet.

"No!" His eyes flickered around almost nervously, causing Beth to stare at him in confusion, the angel she'd met wasn't nervous at all and the way he held himself was tall and fierce, as though he was welcoming anyone who might be a threat to take a swing and see who came out on top. He was nothing like this guy, whose voice was slightly higher, his eyes not as blue and seemed to express his emotions more willingly, more freely.

"Are you all right, Cas?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Castiel?" the man repeated. "I'm not Castiel. It's me."

"Who's me?" Sam demanded.

"Jimmy… my name's Jimmy." Jimmy glanced behind him, as if wondering how he'd gotten there.

"Where the hell is Castiel?" Dean asked gruffly. Beth rose to her feet, standing close to her brothers as she eyed the stranger warily.

"I… he's gone," Jimmy explained. He look between the three of them curiously, his gaze lingering on Beth.

"What do you mean 'he's gone'?" Beth's eyes were wide, filled with confusion. "Who is this guy? Why's he saying Cas is gone?"

"You don't know," Jimmy realized. Beth frowned at him, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"Know what?"

"Enough chit-chat, we need to get to the car, now." Dean grabbed Beth's arm, pulling her away from Jimmy and back towards the stairs with Sam following quickly and Jimmy much more hesitantly.

* * *

><p>"So, are you gonna tell me who the hell you are?" Beth questioned. She was stuck in the back seat with 'Jimmy' while Sam and Dean stopped at a diner to pick up some food for all of them.<p>

"In order for angels to walk on earth, they need to have a vessel," Jimmy explained. "A human willing to cart them around."

"You're Cas's vessel, aren't you?" Jimmy nodded, rubbing his stomach as it rumbled loudly. Beth reached into her messenger bag and pulled out the Hershey bar she had and handed it to him.

"No, I can't take this," he declined and attempted to hand it back.

"Hey, you need it more than I do." She pushed his hands back towards his chest and smiled.

"Thank you," he said before proceeding to devour the chocolate bar in two bites.

"How does it work?" she asked and then clarified, "Being a vessel, I mean."

"Castiel put me through a series of tests in order to check my faith," Jimmy explained lightly. "When he was sure I was ready, he asked me if I was willing to serve the Lord by being his vessel on earth. I said yes and then this bright light filled the air and I was shoved to the back of my mind."

"That sounds… intense," Beth breathed in surprise. "W-what was it like?"

"Intense is putting it lightly." Jimmy turned slightly to face her. She stared back at him, pity flitting across her face. "It felt as though I was strapped to a comet and there was no escape. It's a horrible feeling––being shoved aside and having no control over your actions or words."

"I'm sorry," she told him genuinely. "Do you remember anything whilst you were a vessel?"

"I remember one thing, actually," he admitted.

"What?"

"Cas was very intrigued by you," he explained. Beth's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline.

"Me? Why?"

"He thought your strength was admirable." Beth stared at Jimmy in complete shock, there was no way that someone as plain as her could gain the admiration of someone as powerful, as magnificent as an angel. "I may not have been aware of everything that happened over the past year, but I know that he thought you were surprisingly strong for a human, especially after what you've been through the past week. It confused him to no end, he didn't know what he was feeling or why."

"How… what?" She tried desperately to wrap her head around what she was just told.

"I could hear his thoughts, Beth," Jimmy said as he glanced out the window, Sam and Dean had just exited the diner. "I know that you lost your mom and brother and that you kept going even though you wanted to just break down. I also know that you didn't take on that station of demons alone."

"Cas did he–"

"He knows it was Anna that killed most of the demons," Jimmy smiled in amusement. "It's not like you could've smote them yourself."

"He didn't tell anyone, did he?" she asked frantically. Her brothers were getting closer.

"I don't think so, why are you-"

"No one can know about Anna," she told him urgently. "If they find her, she's in trouble."

"Why?" Jimmy asked.

"Because Anna's a fallen angel and they want to hurt her."

* * *

><p>"Yup, I am <em>definitely <em>no longer hungry," Beth said as she dropped her burger on her plate. Jimmy sent her an apologetic look but continued to devour his own burger.

"Mind slowing down? You're gonna give me angina," Dean grumbled and Jimmy held his hands up in surrender, still chewing away at his burger.

"I'm hungry," Jimmy said defensively as he picked up his large cup of soda and took a long sip.

"When's the last time you ate?" Sam asked curiously.

"I dunno, months."

Dean and Beth shared a disgusted look as Jimmy shoved the last bite into his mouth, moaning happily as he ate it. When the brunette glanced not-so-subtly at Beth and then her cheese burger, she rolled her eyes and shoved the plate at him–he took it with a wide smile and a nod of thanks.

"What the hell happened back there?" Sam said, leaning his elbows on the table. "It looked like an angel battle royale."

"All I remember is a flash of light and I, uh, woke up and I was, you know, just like me again."

"So what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean questioned.

"I _really _don't know," Jimmy replied. His cheeks puffing out at the amount of food stuffed in his mouth.

"Do you remember anything about being possessed?" Jimmy glanced at Sam quickly before his eyes flickered to Beth, who had a pleading look on her face, begging him not to tell them what he had told her.

"Bits and pieces." Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Having an angel inside you is kinda like being chained to a comet."

"That doesn't sound like much fun," Dean pursed his lips, feeling a hint of sympathy for Jimmy.

"Understatement." Jimmy went back to eating the remains of Beth's burger.

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something, please tell me you remember that." Sam kept a secure gaze locked on Jimmy's face, examining him to see if he could find any hints of dishonesty when the other man finally answered.

"Sorry." Jimmy shook his head apologetically.

"Come _on_, what _do _you know?" Dean probed.

"Dean, leave him alone," Beth scolded without hesitation. "It's clear he doesn't remember anything, and even if he did, he would've told us by now, right Jimmy?"

"Yeah, what she said," Jimmy agreed.

"There has to be something," Dean urged, ignoring Beth.

"My name is Jimmy Novak," Jimmy said finally, a deeply thoughtful look on his face. "I'm from Pontiac, Illinois and I have a family."

"Beth, you stay here with Jimmy." Dean clapped a hand down on her shoulder as he stood up. "Sam, we need to talk, outside."

"Yeah, sure." Sam nodded and followed Dean outside the motel room and across the lot to the car.

* * *

><p>"Can you tell me more about your family?" Beth asked hesitantly.<p>

"I'm married to a woman named Amelia," Jimmy smiled fondly as an image of his wife and daughter appeared in his mind. "She's beautiful and smart and loving. We have a daughter, Claire––she's 12 years old now."

"What's she like?" Beth rested her elbows on the table, leaning towards him.

"She's… just like her mother," Jimmy explained quietly, missing his family with all his heart. "But she has my eyes."

"She sounds lovely," Beth smiled. She hesitantly set a hand on his, squeezing it comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For you not being able to see them for a whole year–it can't be easy for you." Jimmy returned Beth's smile with a weak one of his own and set his left hand over hers, patting it gently before pulling away.

"You're right, it hasn't been easy," he said as he turned his gaze to the wedding ring on his finger, turning it in circles slowly. "…I just left them behind. I didn't even stop to think about what it would do to them. I'll be lucky if Amelia lets me back in."

"If she loves you, she will," Beth told him gently. His eyes flickered up to meet hers and her lips twitched up into a side smile.

"Why would she do that?" he questioned. "After _everything, _why would she welcome me back?"

Beth was silent for a moment, trying to decide what to say in response. Jimmy was staring at her, waiting patiently for her to speak her mind, to tell him why she thought his wife would forgive him.

"Because… because people make mistakes and when they do, it's only fair that they get a second chance. I know you feel guilty for leaving them, but sometimes… sometimes you have to do what you feel is right… even if it hurts the ones you love."

"I can see why he was interested in you," Jimmy stated finally, assessing her through his deep–but not as deep as Cas's–blue eyes. "You have a kind heart. Don't ever lose it."

"I-I won't." She swallowed deeply and looked away. In that split second, she felt as though it was Cas that she was talking to, that was staring at her in that strange, yet adorable, squinty way he did. And she did not just think that. She did _not _just call one of Cas's traits _adorable. _Nope. Definitely _not._

She was yanked out of her thoughts as Sam and Dean re-entered the motel room, closing and locking the motel door behind them and coming to stand just in front of her and Jimmy.

"There's been a change of plan," Dean started, glancing between his half-sister and Jimmy. "As it turns out, you can't go home."

"The hell you talking about, I can't go home?" Jimmy demanded in disbelief.

"There's a good change you've got a bulls eye on your back," Dean explained with a shrug. Sam perched himself on the edge of the table and watched the scene before him play out. Beth crossed her arms over her chest, sharing Jimmy's feeling of disbelief. She couldn't _believe _that Dean and Sam were refusing to let Jimmy go back home to his wife and daughter.

"What?" Jimmy's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. "From who?"

"…Demons."

"Come on; that's crazy." He shook his head, turning to give Beth a look that said 'are you buying what they're selling?' and she shrugged weakly, not wanting to side with anyone, even if what Dean was saying was starting to make a little bit of sense. It probably _was _safer if Jimmy were to remain with them, if that meant that he would be safe and so would his family. But she wasn't going to get on his bad side by agreeing with her half-brothers. "What'd they want with me?"

"I dunno. Information, maybe?" Dean asked rhetorically.

"I don't _know_ _anything_," Jimmy repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, raising his voice slightly. He couldn't believe that these strangers were actually trying to prevent him from leaving, from seeing his family again. What gave them the right to tell him he couldn't leave?

"I know," Dean also raised his voice to match Jimmy's.

"Look, I'm done! Okay? With demons, angels, _all of it,_" Jimmy interrupted before Dean could continue. "I just wanna go home."

"Look, we understand that-"

"No, I don't think you do understand," Jimmy said angrily. "I've been _shot_ and _stabbed_ and _healed. _My body's been dragged _all over the earth." _Jimmy paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "By some miracle, I'm out. I'm _done. _I've given _enough_, okay?"

"Look, all we're saying is until we figure this out, the safest place is with us," Sam took over from Dean, standing up and taking the spot on Dean's right.

"Beth, don't tell me you agree with them?" Jimmy asked as he turned to her, wanting her to side with him. He knew deep down that she understood how he was feeling, that she would help him if he asked her to.

"I-I don't agree with them wanting to keep you here against your will," Beth answered reluctantly, gaining irritated looks from her half-brothers. "But I agree that this might be the safest place for you… and your family."

Jimmy looked away from her and back towards Sam, "How long?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Sam said after a minute.

Jimmy shook his head angrily and made his way past Dean towards the door. Beth followed him with her eyes but made no move to go after him.

"Where are you going?" Dean demanded. Sam put a hand against Jimmy's chest and pushed him back a few steps.

"To see my wife and daughter, okay?" Jimmy snapped, grabbing his trench coat off the table.

"No. You're not," Sam told him firmly, "you're just gonna put those people in danger."

"So what, now I'm a prisoner?" Jimmy couldn't believe these people, he really couldn't. Were they really going to keep him locked up because some demons _may _or _may not _be after him?

"Harsh way to put it." Sam shrugged lightly.

"I can't believe you guys." Jimmy shook his head, dropping his coat on the table and backing away from Sam.

Beth felt pity for him as she took in his desperate expression, she reached out and set her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry-"

"I don't wanna hear it." He shrugged her hand off roughly and stormed across the room, sitting down on the bed nearest the door with his back to them.

Beth pushed her hair away from her face as she reluctantly turned to face her brothers. She sent them a disappointed look and moved to sit at the table, sipping at her cup of pineapple juice.

"I can't believe you guys," she whispered, trying not to disturb Jimmy, who had stretched out across the bed and pulled the comforter up to his chin. "I thought you were better than this––I never imagined that you would willingly keep someone from going home to the family who missed them dearly, who were worried sick about them and had no idea if they were okay, or if they were even still alive. I guess you're not the men I thought you were."

Beth finished her juice and turned her back on them, climbing onto the couch and curling up into a ball, knees drawn in to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

* * *

><p>Beth had been kept awake for hours after the argument between her, her half-brothers and Jimmy. She couldn't help the guilt that was eating away at her for not trying to encourage Sam and Dean into letting Jimmy go. She missed her mom and brother more than anything, so she could imagine what he was going through, the only difference was that his family was still alive and hers wasn't.<p>

At 4:34am, when Sam had left the motel room, presumably to get a drink from the soda machine, and Dean was fast asleep in his bed, snoring away, Beth quickly got up off the couch and tiptoed towards Jimmy's bed.

"Hey, wake up," she whispered gently shaking his shoulder. "Jimmy, wake up."

"Huh? What-?" Beth quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and placed a finger against her own, gesturing for him to be quiet.

"If you wanna get home to your family, now is the time," she told him urgently and stepped back. Jimmy nodded eagerly, climbing out of bed and tugging his trench coat on. Beth pulled on her doc martens and tied them quickly before shoving the loose articles of clothing of hers that lay around the room in her bag and pulled her jacket on, gesturing for him to follow her.

"Thank you for this," he told her quietly as he carefully closed the door behind them.

"It's not a problem. I know you would do the same if it was someone else in your position," Beth returned with a gentle smirk, walking quickly past the long line of motel rooms.

* * *

><p>Later that morning, Sam was frantically shoving belongings into his duffel bag and Dean was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and taking his time.<p>

"Dean, would you hurry up?" he barked. Dean exited the bathroom, toothbrush still in his mouth as he chuckled deeply at his brother. "Sorry, this is funny to you?" Sam demanded.

"Mr big, bad prison guard, our sis and Jimmy gives you the slip, yeah, it's pretty funny." Dean removed the toothbrush from his mouth. Sam sent him an irritated look and went back to packing. "What are you doing anyway?"

"I was getting a coke," Sam said defensively.

"Was it a refreshing coke?" Dean asked mockingly. He wasn't that worried about Jimmy leaving, it was the fact that Beth had either willingly gone with the older man or had been dragged along that had him concerned.

"Can we just go? _Please_?" Sam asked. He was also worried about Beth, she knew next to nothing about what they hunted and wouldn't stand a chance against demons, should she and Jimmy encounter them.

Dean nodded finally and returned to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth.

* * *

><p>"Hey, there's no need to worry. You'll see them soon," Beth said to Jimmy. The older man was bouncing his knee up and down as he stared out of the window of the bus.<p>

"I'm sorry, I just… I can't wait to see them again," Jimmy said truthfully.

"It's understandable, trust me." Beth pulled a can of soda from her bag and handed it over to him, waving his words of thanks aside and taking out her own grape soda.

"Won't your brothers be angry that you've run off?" Jimmy asked.

"I… I doubt it." She shrugged weakly at him. "I'm only their half-sister, I doubt they even know I'm gone."

"I don't think that's true," Jimmy reassured her, looking down at her. "It was obvious that they care about you. Sam made sure you got your dinner first before anyone else and he got you that pineapple juice, which is obviously something you like very much and Dean wouldn't let you move away from his side, it was as if he thought I would attack you or something and he wasn't willing to let you get hurt."

"Really?" Beth met his gaze evenly, hope flashing across her face.

"I think they care for you more than you know."

Beth smiled widely up at him before turning away and sticking headphones in her ears. Jimmy's lips twitched into a smile as well as he went back to staring out of the window.

He would be back home with his family soon enough.

* * *

><p>"That's it. That's my house," Jimmy told her, pointing towards a large, beautiful house with a wide porch and a lawn in front of it.<p>

"It's beautiful," she admitted, staring at it with wide eyes. She followed Jimmy up the sidewalk and onto the path leading to the porch.

Jimmy came to a sudden stop a few feet from the porch steps and Beth skidded slightly to stop herself from colliding with his back. She looked up at him in concern, wondering why he wasn't going any closer.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just… I have so many memories of this place," he said with emotion filled eyes. Beth smiled at his words and took his hand, guiding him up onto the porch. He glanced through the window to see a young girl sitting at the table, studying hard. Beth followed his gaze and came to the conclusion that the blonde girl must have been his daughter, Claire.

"She's pretty." Beth nudged him gently after releasing his hand.

Claire turned slightly in her chair and spoke to someone just out of sight and a few seconds later, a beautiful woman with blonde hair entered the room, leaning over her daughter to get a better look at her assignment.

"Go on," Beth encouraged, stepping back as he stopped in front of the door. "It's time for you to see them again."

Jimmy nodded at her words, taking a deep breath and pressing the doorbell. It rang for a short period of time before the door opened to reveal Jimmy's wife. Amelia's eyes widened in shock and in relief as she stared at him.

"We, uh… we stopped looking for you," Amelia stated, feeling the familiar sting of tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Jimmy whispered as tears welled in his eyes.

"You were dead." Amelia's eyes flickered to Beth, who stood awkwardly behind Jimmy, a few feet away. "We… we thought you were dead."

"I'm okay," Jimmy assured his wife, regaining her attention. "I just… I needed to see you again… you and Claire."

"Who is she?" Amelia looked back at Beth, eyes narrowing as the brunette waved weakly.

"I'm Beth. Beth Milligan," she introduced herself with a polite smile before deciding to make up a story on how she knew Jimmy. "I met Jimmy at the bus station just outside of town and saw that he had no money, so I offered to pay for him."

"Why are you here?"

"He told me so much about you that I just wanted to make sure he got back to you safely," she explained lightly, "and I hope you know how lucky you are to have him, he's a nice guy, really."

Amelia was silent, staring at Beth with cautious eyes. Beth shifted awkwardly under the woman's strong gaze and felt relief when the blonde nodded and a smile crossed her face.

"Thank you," she said genuinely to Beth.

"It's no problem," Beth grinned happily and took a step backwards. "I guess I should get going. I don't know when the bus to Windom is, but I should hurry so I don't miss it." She turned her eyes to Jimmy. "You be careful, you hear? Don't do anything stupid."

"Thank you, Bethany Milligan." Jimmy said warmly, grateful for all her help.

"Hey, it's just Beth," she corrected immediately. She turned away from the Novak's and walked slowly back down the path, wondering silently how she was going to explain her actions to Sam and Dean, she knew they'd be pissed at her. She also knew she was gonna get an earful from Dean for being so reckless.

"Wait!" Beth spun around to find Amelia walking towards her.

"What is it?"

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Amelia asked. "I mean, it's the least I can do."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Please. I won't take no for an answer."

"O-okay, I guess I could stay for a couple of hours," Beth said hesitantly and was promptly dragged back up the path, onto the porch and into the house after Amelia and Jimmy.

* * *

><p>Beth sat awkwardly at the dining room table, occasionally glancing at Claire, who was openly staring at her. Jimmy and Amelia were in the front room, talking quietly amongst themselves.<p>

"So, what are you working on?" Beth asked curiously.

"English assignment," Claire replied, glancing down at the paper in front of her.

"Ah, English was one of my favourite classes when I was your age," Beth smiled gently at the girl.

"How do you know my dad?"

"I met him at a bus station just outside of town, he seemed like a nice guy, so I helped him find his way home," Beth explained.

Claire simply smiled in response and stood up when her mom called her name, rushing past Beth and towards the front room.

"Hey daddy," she whispered, throwing her short arms around him.

"Hey baby." Jimmy held her tightly, closing his eyes as he savoured the moment between himself and his daughter.

Beth met Amelia's tearful eyes and smiled at her, feeling honoured that she was witnessing such an emotional reunion between a father and his child. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued smiling away to herself.

* * *

><p>"So, we have turkey and roast beef," Amelia explained as she set two plates of sandwiches on the table. "If that's okay?"<p>

"It looks delicious, thank you, Mrs Novak," Beth said, eyeing the food hungrily. She remembered a time when her mom used to do the same thing, making her and Adam piles of sandwiches and letting them eat them in the living room in front of the TV.

"It's perfect–it's more than perfect," Jimmy added, resting his hands against the back of the chair. "Shall we sit?"

Beth waited until the Novak's had sat down before she took the seat beside Claire. Jimmy sat at the head of the table and Amelia sat across from Claire, on Jimmy's right.

"It's perfect," Jimmy repeated, picking up a sandwich.

"Daddy, aren't you gonna say grace?" Claire asked, confused.

"No honey, I don't think I am," Jimmy answered after a moment. Beth felt pity for the man well in her stomach, it didn't really surprise her that he didn't want to say grace after everything he'd been through the past year, acting as Castiel's vessel.

"Why are you crying?"

"'Cause I'm happy," Jimmy explained tearfully, looking towards his daughter. Claire smiled brightly at him, gaining a watery laugh from her dad. Amelia looked awfully uncomfortably and the doorbell suddenly ringing seemed to give her a reason to move, to do something.

"Hey, let me get that for you," Beth told the older woman gently. "It's the least I can do," she added when Amelia made to protest.

"Thank you," Amelia said finally and sat back down. Beth nodded and left the dining room, heading straight for the door. She opened it and came face-to-face with a man with light ginger hair and dark green eyes.

"Can I help you?" Beth asked politely.

"Is Amelia home?" the man questioned.

"Uh, yeah, Mrs Novak's in the dining room. I'll just go get her, wait here." Beth closed the door behind the man and walked back to the dining room, telling Amelia that a man wanted to speak to her.

Jimmy followed his wife out moments later and hugged the man. Beth remained in the doorway of the dining room with Claire behind her, peeking out at the adults from under Beth's arm. Beth smirked in amusement and crouched down, telling Claire to climb onto her back. She stood up to her full height which allowed Claire to see what was going on without having to crouch down.

"Can I get you a beer?" Amelia asked and Roger nodded, thanking her as she headed for the kitchen.

Amelia walked back into the living room in time for Jimmy to hit Roger roughly over the head with a heavy object, she gasped in horror as her husband began hitting their neighbour over and over again in the head.

"What are you doing?" Amelia cried out.

"He's a demon!" Jimmy yelled back.

Beth jumped at the sudden shout, almost knocking Claire's head against the top of the door frame. She set the girl down on the ground and herded her towards the stairs, pushing her up them and telling her not to leave her room until Beth came for her.

She raced to the kitchen and grabbed her bag, riffling through it until she found the flask of holy water Dean had given her when she was dropped off with them again after meeting Castiel. Without a moment's hesitation, she hurried to Jimmy's side and flung her wrist out, sending a small splash of holy water onto Roger's face. He yelped in pain and anger as the holy water ate through the skin of his face, leaving burn marks on his skin. Jimmy hit Roger again as he made to get up and lunge at Beth, who jumped backwards out of the way.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Amelia screamed.

"Run, Amelia! He's a demon!" Jimmy ordered. Beth quickly grabbed Amelia's hand and tugged her out of the living room, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and calling on Claire. The young girl appeared at once, running down the stairs and latching onto her mom.

* * *

><p>"Why did you do that?" Jimmy paid no attention to Amelia, riffling through the objects on the shelves in the pantry.<p>

"Do you know how to fight them?" he asked Beth urgently.

"N-no. Dean and Sam never got around to teaching me," Beth answered shakily, running her fingers through her hair. "But, Anna said… she said that salt can hold them off, if we spread it around the doors and windows, it should buy us some time until I can get my brothers here."

She joined Jimmy in his search and eventually came across a large tub of salt. She edged her way past Amelia and Claire, heading straight for the door.

"Roger was your best friend," Amelia whispered, keeping Claire behind her.

"No. Roger was a demon, dammit," Jimmy corrected, pouring salt over across the bottom of the door. "Don't cross this line," he ordered.

"I thought you were better–you said you were better," Amelia accused.

"I am better, I'm not crazy," he said desperately. Amelia backed away, holding a scared Claire against her back.

"Stay the hell away from us!" Amelia barked.

"This is all a big misunderstanding," Jimmy pleaded. Beth shifted awkwardly on her feet, watching him trying to get his wife to understand what was really happening.

"You're crazy!" Amelia snapped. Jimmy grabbed her arms, reaching one hand out towards Claire. Amelia pushed with all her strength, shoving Jimmy against the shelves and shouting for Claire to run. The young girl ducked past Beth as she tried to grab her and fled into the kitchen. Beth raced after her, calling for her to come back.

Jimmy darted after them, only to skid to a stop beside Beth and stare at a bloody Roger, who had Claire in his hold, a knife poised over her throat. Amelia entered the hall last and went to run to Claire's aid when Beth held an arm out, preventing her from going closer.

"Heya pal," Roger greeted cheerfully, acting as though he hadn't just had his head bashed in. Amelia stared at him wide, disbelieving eyes. "Told ya I'd get the bitch."

"Roger," Amelia breathed.

"Daddy!" Claire gasped fearfully.

"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" Beth ordered, a very Dean-like expression. She'd heard those words some many times since Dean had rescued her that it seemed to be one of her favourite catch phrases now.

"Normally, I would, but in this case," Roger started, backing away with Claire, "the misses has other ideas."

A woman with short brown hair suddenly appeared, leaping onto Jimmy's back and tackling him to the floor. She immediately began punching him as Claire screamed loudly. The woman turned her head towards Beth and Amelia, her eyes completely pitch black.

"Oh my god," Amelia whispered. "No!" The blonde latched onto the demon and tugged her backwards, stopping her from hitting Jimmy again. The demon let out an angry shriek, struggling against Amelia. Beth rushed to help, only to get back-handed and sent flying across the hall into the wall.

Roger let out a sudden, strangled cry that filled the air. Beth glanced up, pressing a hand against her bleeding forehead to find Dean standing there, holding a strange looking knife in his hand. Claire darted away from Roger's fallen body, throwing herself at her mom as the female demon attempted to flee the room, only to be stopped by Sam, who seemed to make her freeze on the spot just by holding his hand out.

Jimmy scrambled to his feet, pulling his wife and daughter to him. Dean's gaze locked on Sam, watching as he held the female in place.

"Go! Get out of here!" Sam ordered breathlessly.

"Go! Go!" Dean encouraged as he helped Beth to her feet, slipping his arm around her waist to support her weight.

"Dean, I need my bag," she told him, her vision swimming. "It's on the kitchen table."

"Get her out of here," Dean gently pushed her to Jimmy, watching as the man followed his example, slipping his arm around her and encouraging her to lean against him as he rushed her and his family outside. Dean and Sam appeared seconds later, running towards them. Dean had Beth's bag slung over his left shoulder. "Where's your wife?" he demanded, looking at Jimmy.

"I'm right here," Amelia answered as she popped up beside Claire, wrapping a coat around her daughter.

"Let's go," Dean ordered as he climbed into the front seat. Sam took Beth from Jimmy helping her into the front of the car and climbing in after her. He pulled out a bandanna from her bag after Dean had handed it to him and pressed it firmly against her head.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked softly.

"I'll be fine," she assured him weakly, face pale from the smell of the blood. "It'll take more than a bang to the head to take me down."

"That's good to know," Sam chuckled and gained a small smile from Beth. She leaned against him, hesitantly resting her head against his shoulder and sighing, exhausted from the day's events.

* * *

><p>"You were right," Jimmy sighed, looking from his wife and daughter in the back of the car to Dean, who was frowning.<p>

"Sorry we were," her brother said in response. Beth glanced over at them, trying not to wince as Sam finished cleaning the cut on her head and stuck a large band aid over it.

"You'll be fine, it doesn't stitches or anything," Sam told her, sticking the first aid kit back in the trunk. "It's just a cut."

"Thanks, Sam."

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything," Jimmy was saying when Beth tuned back in to their conversation.

"I don't think they're inclined to believe you," Dean pointed out.

"And even if they did, you're a vessel," Sam continued for his brother, "they're still gonna wanna know what makes you tick."

Beth turned away from the trio, grabbing her bag from the front seat and taking out a bottle of pain killers, she shook a couple out onto her palm and chased them down with a bottle of water she found in the glove compartment.

"Don't you get it?" Sam demanded suddenly, regaining Beth's attention. "Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible, or you put a bullet in your head, and _that_ is how you keep your family _safe _but there's no getting out and there's no going home."

Dean looked taken aback by his brother's harsh words as Beth re-joined them, a shocked look on her face. She stood beside Jimmy, eyeing Sam warily.

"Why the hell would you say that?" she asked sharply. "Don't you think he feels bad enough as it is?"

"Because it's the truth," Sam told her, turning his gaze onto her.

"Well, don't sugar-coat it, Sam," Dean snorted.

"I'm just telling him the truth, Dean," Sam snapped. "Someone has to."

With that said, Sam and Dean walked a few feet away, discussing something quietly, and leaving Beth standing beside a shell-shocked Jimmy and rubbing her arm awkwardly.

"I'm sorry for what he said, it was uncalled for."

"No, it wasn't. He's right, I shouldn't have come back; I was the one who put them in danger." Jimmy's gaze slid to his wife and daughter, sadness covering his face.

Beth sighed in pity, following his gaze. She squeezed his arm gently before leaving his side and climbing onto the hood of the Impala.

* * *

><p>Beth watched sadly as Jimmy said his goodbyes to his family, she knew how hard it must be for him. She was taken by surprise as Claire suddenly approached her, hugging her tightly around the waist. She glanced up at Jimmy to find him watching his daughter fondly, sending a small smile at Beth, she returned it and hugged Claire back, brushing her thumb over Claire's long blonde locks.<p>

"You be good, you hear?" Beth crouched in front of her. "If you need someone to talk to, at any time, just give me a call, all right?" she handed a piece of paper to Claire, watching as the girl tucked it into her pocket.

"Will you take care of my daddy?"

"Of course, you have my word," Beth promised, holding out her hand and grinning as Claire linked their pinkies together, shaking their hands up and down once. "See ya later, squirt."

Claire gave her a bright, parting smile and headed back to her mom. Beth waved at them as she climbed into the backseat of the Impala, waiting patiently as Jimmy waved goodbye and joined her in the back. Sam and Dean were already sitting in the front, waiting to go.

They drove out of the parking garage minutes later, leaving Claire and Amelia behind. Beth bit her lip, an odd feeling coming over her as the two blondes disappeared from sight.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked curiously, seeing her worried expression.

"Nothing… just had a bad feeling, is all."

* * *

><p>Beth's phone started ringing suddenly, jerking her from her sleep and causing her to hit her head against the roof of the car.<p>

"Hello?" she asked sleepily as she flipped her phone open and answered the call.

"_Hey, Beth,_" Amelia greeted cheerfully.

"Amelia?" Beth said in surprise, gaining curious looks from her brothers. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"_Everything's fine, I was just wondering if you could put Jimmy on the phone?_" Amelia replied in a reassuring voice.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Hold on a sec." Beth leaned across and gently patted Jimmy's shoulder. He woke up almost immediately, his blue eyes locking on her. "It's Amelia, she wants to talk."

"Amelia," Jimmy greeted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand. A look of horror appeared on his face.

"What is it?" Beth mouthed in concern.

"Oh my god," was all Jimmy uttered before the call cut off.

* * *

><p>"Well… this is a nice place," Beth pursed her lips, eyeing the abandoned factory in distaste.<p>

"Right, they're expecting you to come alone," Dean told Jimmy as the man pulled his trench on, "and that's exactly what you're gonna do."

"We'll be right behind you," Sam added. Beth nodded in agreement.

"All you gotta do is stay calm and stall," Dean finished. "Let us do our job."

"You want me to stay calm? This is my family we're talking about!"

"Listen to me, this will work, you understand? Nobody's gonna get hurt."

"Yeah, whatever," Jimmy said flippantly. He started walking away from them. "Give me a minute okay?"

"D'you think he's gonna be okay?" Beth asked worriedly.

"Of course," Dean told her reassuringly.

"There's no way they're expecting him to come alone, Dean," Sam pointed out. "You know this is probably a trap."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I have a plan."

"You knew this was a trap?" Beth demanded, glaring at them. "You just let him walk right in there––he could die or so could his family."

"We didn't have another choice, princess," Dean replied. He glanced down at her. "Maybe it's best if you stay here."

"No. No way," Beth disagreed stubbornly. "I'm not waiting out here, you two might not come back. Besides, you need all the help you can get."

"She has a point, Dean." Sam shared a meaningful look with Dean. His brother nodded subtly, the action going unnoticed by Beth.

"Yeah, I guess she does."

Before Beth could fight back, Sam pulled her against him, grasping her arms and holding them out to Dean, who locked one handcuff around her wrist before hooking it through the space in between the door handle and the car and attaching it to her other wrist. Sam released her with a smirk, watching in amusement as she struggled against her restraints.

"What the _hell _are you _doing?_" Beth demanded, sending a glare over her shoulder.

"I'm afraid you're gonna be stuck out here princess," Dean said with a wink. "You don't know anything about hunting, so it's safer it you stay here."

"Dean!" she yelled as they grabbed their necessary equipment and walked away. "Don't you dare leave me here!"

* * *

><p>"Damn son of a bitch!" Beth cursed, tugging uselessly at the handcuffs.<p>

She'd been stuck to the car for the last five minutes and was still trying to free herself. It wasn't easy, seeing as she had nothing to try and open the cuffs with.

The flutter of wings sounded behind her and she turned the best she could, looking over her shoulder at the familiar brunette.

"You look like you're in a spot of bother," he told her with an amused smirk.

"Would you just help me out, please?" she begged. He nodded and set a hand over the cuffs, they sprung open immediately and Beth pulled her wrists free, rubbing them gratefully.

"What do I get in return?"

"My everlasting gratitude?" Beth offered.

"I already have that," he replied.

"Ugh, you're so annoying," she grumbled. She grabbed the lapels of his coat and drew him into a quick hug before pushing him away and running towards the factory. "Catch you later! I'll pay you back another time!"

"You have my thanks, little dove." He turned on his heel and disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p>Beth burst into the factory in time to see Amelia shoot Jimmy. She let out a startled gasp, watching as he clutched his side and fell to the ground.<p>

"Waste little orphan Annie," Amelia ordered, eyes flickering to one of the other demons.

The large male approached a tied up Claire slowly, edging around Jimmy's sprawled out form and stopped in front of the chair, raising a metal pipe to hit Claire with. Beth was about to run to Claire's aid when the girl's head suddenly snapped up and she set a small hand on the man's forehead, watching as a bright light shot out of her palm and the demon shrieked in agony as the girl smote it.

The distraction gave Sam and Dean enough time to break free and launch their own attacks on the demons. Beth rushed over, grabbing hold of the one trying to strangle Dean, she tugged him backwards, freeing Dean from his tight grasp.

"Beth!" Dean said breathlessly. "How the hell did you get out?"

"I had help," she answered with a shrug. "Now is not the time, we have bigger issues to deal with."

She glanced over and saw that Sam had managed to pin the female demon down, raising the demon killing knife to her neck. The demon that had previously attacked Dean turned its sights on Beth, throwing her to the ground and wrapping his hands around her neck.

"D… Dean!" she wheezed desperately, clawing at the man's hands. Castiel stopped beside the demon and smote it as well, the body slumped to the floor and Beth was left sucking air in greedily. She sent a thankful look at Castiel. "Thank you, C-Cas."

The young girl nodded once and stepped aside, giving Beth room to scramble to her feet. Her brown eyes locked on Sam and she gasped in horror, hands flying to her mouth as Sam locked his mouth around the cut he'd made on the demon's neck and started sucking at the blood that welled up. Her half-brother's head snapped up as she let out a choked breath. Blood was smeared around his lips, cheeks and chin and stained his teeth a bright red.

"Oh my god," Beth whispered, stumbling backwards into Dean. He gently grabbed her elbow and held her in place. Sam turned back around and plunged the knife into the woman's chest, killing her instantly, her skeleton sparking twice before fading.

He took a step towards them and Beth panicked, letting out a terrified squeak as she yanked her arm free and hid behind Dean. Sam raised his arm suddenly, causing Dean to jerk back in surprise, only to release that he was exorcising the demon possessing Amelia, who stood behind them.

Thick, black smoke poured from Amelia's mouth, drifting towards the floor. Amelia let out a rough cough as the smoke settled in a cloud on the ground and she fell to her knees, unable to support her own body weight. The smoke slowly burned away, leaving a scorch mark in the shape of a circle on the ground. Castiel walked around Amelia, heading to Jimmy's side as Dean went to Amelia's aid, lifting her up onto her feet.

Beth watched as Castiel crouched beside Jimmy, running her fingers through his thick, black hair. Jimmy weakly looked up at her.

"Of course we keep our promises," she told him, "of course you have our gratitude. You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now. Your _real_ home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord."

Beth bit her lip, trying to keep the tears from falling as Jimmy slipped closer and closer to death's door. The man stubbornly shook his head, gritting his teeth as he looked up into the face of his daughter.

"Rest now, Jimmy," Castiel encouraged.

"No, Claire," Jimmy groaned weakly.

"She's with me now," Castiel replied. Beth risked a step closer, accidently kicking a small stone and causing Castiel to glance back at her quickly before turning back to Jimmy. "She's chosen. It's in her blood, as it was in yours."

"Please, Castiel," Jimmy begged, blood stained his teeth and lips. "_Please_… just… take me. Take me, please."

"I wanna make sure you understand," Castiel began as Dean, Amelia and Sam joined them, "you won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a _thousand _more like it."

Jimmy reached out weakly, grabbing a hold of Castiel's arm, "It doesn't matter," he choked out. "You take me. Just take me."

Beth glanced back at her brothers and moved to Dean's side, hooking her hands around his lower arm tightly.

"As you wish," Castiel said and rested her hands on Jimmy's face. A soft ringing filled the air, Claire's irises turned a shimmering silver and a beautiful, white light erupted from Jimmy's eyes.

"Beth, look away," Dean ordered, tugging her head away from the light.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"It'll burn your eyes out," he explained quietly as Claire let out a sudden gasp and slumped forward. Castiel looked around quickly before he got to his feet, walking away from Claire and coming to stand in between Beth and Sam, glancing back as Amelia went over and embraced her daughter.

"Cas, hold up," Dean spoke up as Castiel made to leave.

"What were you going to tell me?"

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean," Castiel answered gruffly. His eyes flickered to Beth before going back to Dean. "I serve Heaven. I don't serve man, and I certainly don't serve you."

Castiel turned away, walking towards the door. Beth took one look up at Dean's expression of disbelief and Sam's expression on shock and stormed after the angel.

"Beth, don't!" Dean hissed, only to be ignored as the eighteen year old disappeared out the door.

* * *

><p>"Hey, jackass!" Beth shouted, gravel crunching under her shoes.<p>

Castiel slowed to a halt, his irritation clear in the way he held himself. Beth locked her hand around his elbow and turned him to face her.

"What the hell is your problem?" she demanded. She knew that she didn't really know Sam and Dean at all, but like how she had once felt towards Adam, she couldn't stop the surge of protectiveness she felt towards them. "What makes you think you have the right to speak to them like that?"

"I'm an Angel of the Lord and I don't need to explain myself to you," Castiel responded stoically.

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?" she hissed. "Those two guys are my brothers and no one–not even an asshole angel like you–gets to speak to them like that. Do you understand me?"

"You should hold your tongue, if you know what's good for you," he warned, squinting at her.

"I'm not scared of you." Beth held her ground, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her chin out in defiance.

"You are lucky you have purpose, Bethany Milligan, that I have orders to watch you and make sure no harm comes to you," Castiel began, towering over her. "Because if you didn't, I would lay you to waste for your disrespect."

"Bring it on." Beth glared up at him, not liking his attitude at all.

Castiel shook his head and turned away, walking off before disappearing in a flutter of wings. Beth snorted, unfolding her arms and dragging her hand through her hair.

"Stupid assed angels," she grumbled before waiting for her brothers.


	9. When The Levee Breaks

**_'It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.'_**

_**- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Caroll.**_

* * *

><p><em>To be truthful, Beth hadn't entirely convinced that she should meet this Bobby Singer person that Sam and Dean kept going on about. She didn't know how he would react to finding out that John Winchester had had two more kids and never told anyone. She didn't want to be treated differently just because she was the 'bastard' daughter of John. <em>

_But Sam and Dean had been telling her non-stop during the ride down to Sioux Falls from Pontiac that Bobby would like her and wouldn't throw her out when she had nowhere to go._

_As it turned out, Beth was surprised at how nice Bobby actually was towards her when they had arrived and Sam had introduced them. He was gruff and seemed a little rough around the edges but he was polite enough and seemed pretty welcoming. He even offered her a glass of whisky, which she accepted before he sat her down and Sam, Dean and him told her about the different supernatural creatures they'd faced over the years._

_She stopped them half way through a story of a rugaru they'd recently faced with a queasy look on her face and had said that if they didn't mind, she would like to go and lay down for a while._

_Bobby had readily agreed and sent her up the stairs with directions to the quest room._

* * *

><p><strong>One day later<strong>

"Okay, run this by me again," Beth ordered, arms crossed over her chest and a stern expression on her face. "I was asleep for just a day and in that time, you've locked Sam up in the panic room and are putting him through some sort of detox thing?"

"Pretty much." Dean nodded as an unamused smirk crossed his face.

"I don't understand why he's being put through a detox, what's he addicted to?"

"You saw what he did in Pontiac," Dean responded slowly, "what do you think he's addicted to?"

"Y-you're telling me that he's got an addiction to demon blood?" Beth's eyebrows shot up in horror. She glanced quickly at Bobby, who nodded in confirmation. "Why is he doing it?"

"Because he thinks it's gonna make him strong enough to kill Lilith to stop the apocalypse."

"Kill Lilith? Stop the apocalypse?" she repeated dumbly. "What are you talking about?"

"That's why those damn angels are walking among us," Bobby explained gruffly, "they're trying to stop Lilith from breaking the seals that will free Lucifer from his cage."

"_Lucifer_? _Thee _Lucifer?" She gaped at them, her mind reeling. "As in the devil, Lucifer?"

"Oh yeah, isn't it just awesome?" Dean asked snarkily. "If 66 seals are broken, he walks the earth."

"A-and that will bring about the whole apocalypse thing?" At Dean's nod, Beth let out a shaky breath and deposited herself on the chair behind the desk. "This is too much. This is probably all just a dream and I'll wake up back at University and mom and Adam will be alive and they'll laugh when I tell them about this."

Dean and Bobby shared a pitying look before glancing back at Beth as she ran her hand through her messy waves.

"Beth, it's not a dream." She looked up at them through blank brown eyes and nodded slowly.

"I know… but I want it to be."

Dean was silent for a moment, staring down at his half-sibling. "I'm gonna go see how he's doing."

"I'll come too," Beth said eagerly and stood up, wanting to move around and do something instead of just sitting there doing nothing.

"Suit yourself, but we're not going in there," Dean told her firmly and she nodded quickly, following after him towards the basement stairs.

Dean opened the hatch on the door and peered inside, catching Sam's annoyed gaze. Beth fidgeted behind him, peering at Sam almost nervously.

"Okay, let me out. This isn't funny," Sam ordered, a scowl spreading across his lips.

"Damn straight," Dean agreed.

"Dean, come on." Sam approached the hatch slowly, staring out at his siblings. "This is crazy!"

"No. Not until you dry out."

"Look, I'm sorry – I shouldn't have lied to you," Sam started lowly, his eyes giving away the irritation he felt. "Just open the door."

"You don't have to apologize," Dean told him. Beth frowned at him, thinking that Sam should apologize for doing what he'd done, that he should know that it's wrong, unnatural. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault that you've lied to me over and over again, or that you scared the crap out of Beth back at that factory. I get it now – you can't help it."

"I'm not some junkie," Sam argued defensively.

"Really?" Dean asked cynically. "I guess I've just imagined how strung out you've been lately."

Sam chuckled in disbelief. "You're actually trying to twist this into some kind of ridiculous drug intervention?"

"If it smells like a duck," Dean retorted.

"Dean, I'm not drinking demon blood for kicks," Sam said firmly. "I'm getting strong enough to kill Lilith."

"Are you?" Sam was startled by Beth's sudden question as he glanced towards her. "Are you really? Because it doesn't look like it from where I'm standing – this problem of yours is just going to end badly and Dean… Dean and I will be left to pick up the pieces."

Dean was clearly going to back up Beth the longer he stared at his brother. "Strong?" he repeated quietly.

"Yeah!"

"This is about as far away from _strong_ as you can get. Try weak. Try _desperate, pathetic._"

"Killing Lilith is what matters," Sam countered impatiently. "Or are you so busy being self-righteous that you've forgotten about her?"

"Oh, Lilith's gonna die," Dean assured him, "Bobby and Beth and I are gonna kill her, but not with you."

"You're not serious." Sam shook his head.

"Congrats, Sammy," Dean stated mockingly, "you've just bought yourself a benchwarmer seat to the apocalypse."

"Dean, look-" Sam was cut off as Dean began to close the hatch. "No! Wait!" He banged angrily on the door, causing Beth to jump in surprise. "Come back here! Dean! Beth! Let me out of here!"

Dean grabbed Beth's shoulder gently and guided her away from the door, pushing her up the stairs in front of him. She glanced back once, feeling sorry for her second oldest brother as he continued to pound on the door.

* * *

><p>"You said that I was gonna help you kill Lilith, but I don't know how to fight," Beth pointed out, resting against the desk.<p>

"I know, that's why I'm gonna teach you the basics," Dean told her. He picked up the gun from beside him and gestured for her to follow him, which she did hesitantly.

"Where are we going?" she asked, trailing after him along the path in between scrap metal and old cars.

"Just a little further." Dean stopped just at the edge of the woods by Bobby's house and held the gun out to her. She took it nervously, holding the butt of the gun with her thumb and forefinger away from her body. She stared at it as though she expected it to go off like a bomb. "Relax, it's not loaded," Dean snorted in amusement.

"Well, excuse me! I've never even held a gun before." She glowered at him, huffing in irritation.

Dean's amusement died down a bit as he was suddenly reminded that the Beth that had been there when Adam was learning to shoot was actually one of the ghouls and not his real, human half-sister. Beth seemed to realize why he was suddenly all somber and quiet and set a hand on his arm, squeezing gently as he looked up in surprise.

"Don't blame yourself – they were rather convincing," she said gently.

"How did you know?"

"It was kinda obvious and… and they bragged about how Sam was awfully eager to teach them how to shoot and didn't even know something was off."

"I should've noticed sooner," Dean pointed out as he took the gun back and showed her how to load the gun and how to use it step-by-step.

She took it from him after he had taken it apart again and copied his actions, struggling only when it came to putting the bullets in the gun. Dean had to show her twice before she finally caught on.

"Now. Time for the shooting part."

"Wait, what?" Beth demanded, eyes wide. "You never said anything about actually _firing _the gun."

"Well how else are you gonna learn?" Dean rolled his eyes at her.

"By watching you and hoping for the best?" she offered pathetically.

"Get over here," Dean grumbled and waited until she was standing beside him before going to readjust the target on the tree about five feet away. "Now, you need to straighten your spine." He set a hand against her back and put pressure on it until her back was completely straight. He went on to adjust her arms, telling her to square her shoulders because the gun would have quite a kick and would jerk her shoulder back if she wasn't careful. "Stand with your legs a little apart," he instructed, standing behind her and showing her how to hold the gun properly. She nodded, listening carefully as he told her what to do.

"What now?" she asked.

"Now you have to focus on the target and when you think you've got in it lined up right, you shoot." Beth nodded in response, closing one eye and lining the gun up until she was satisfied. She opened her eye, took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. A loud bang sounded and her shoulder snapped backwards slightly at the impact. The bullet hit the red ring closest to the centre circle of the target. "Good, now try again, but this time, aim for the middle." Beth smiled slightly at his words of praise and moved the gun slightly to the left and braced herself, firing a second later. This bullet hit the edge of the centre circle.

Beth huffed quietly and fired again, her eyes widening and a grin crossing her face as she finally managed to hit the centre.

"Did you see that?!" She turned towards him, a laugh slipping out. "I actually did it!"

"Well, you seem capable of handling a gun, but how good are you at fighting? Or using a knife?"

Beth deflated at that, her smile falling. She was terrible at fighting, her being thrown through a door and having her wrist snapped by a demon was proof of that… and her terrible skills of using a knife, she'd had no idea what she was doing when she used Anna's blade to try and protect them both, all she did was slice and stab at the demons clumsily.

"This is gonna end in disaster," she told him with a sigh.

"I'll be the judge of that," Dean retorted and pulled two knives out of his pocket, handing the plain looking one with a black handle to her and keeping the strange looking one from Pontiac for himself.

* * *

><p>So, as it turned out, Beth was as terrible as she had expected and Dean had kicked her ass. She had two scratches to prove it, one on her arm and the other on her cheek. It was just two more wounds added to her collection. She had finger shaped bruises on her neck from when she had been strangled by the male demon after helping Dean and she had the cut on her head from being thrown into a wall.<p>

She had immediately left Dean and Bobby in the study and rushed down to the panic room the moment Sam had started screaming, ignoring Dean's order to stay put. He may be willing to sit by and let his brother scream himself hoarse, but Beth couldn't stand it, she wanted to help, she had to help.

"Sam!" Beth yanked at the lock until it came loose and she pulled the door open, rushing to her half-brother's side after closing the door behind her. "Sam?"

She let out a yelp as he suddenly sat up, staring just to the left of her and began talking about how about their dad and Jess and how he was sorry about something. She stared at him in fear, wondering who he was talking to.

"S-Sam?" She reached out to him and set her hand on his shoulder. Sam jumped, startled and blinked at her as though he was seeing her for the first time. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?" he asked, glancing around wildly.

"You were screaming, so I came down here to see if you were okay…"

"What is it?"

"You were talking about dad, and someone called Jess," Beth replied quietly.

"I-I'm fine. I'm just tired." He rubbed a hand across his pale, sweaty face.

"You should get some sleep," Beth said and pushed at his shoulder until he lay down fully. She grabbed the jug of water from the table and dipped the bandana she'd found in it before ringing it out and set it on his forehead. "It's okay. I'm here."

"Thank you," Sam whispered, his eyes slipping shut. Beth nodded, even though he couldn't see it and lifting the bandana and wiping his face with it, cooling his overheated skin.

"It's no problem, big brother," she answered lowly, perching herself on the edge of the cot.

* * *

><p>Beth sighed wearily as she entered the study to find Dean and Bobby finishing their glasses of whisky. They both looked up as she stopped in the doorway.<p>

"How is he?"

"He's… he's feverish," Beth answered after a slight hesitation, "he's tired, he won't eat, he's practically dehydrated."

"There's somethin' you're not telling us," Bobby said pointedly.

"I think he was hallucinating," she admitted. "He sat up when I went down there and was talking about dad and someone called Jess."

"This isn't good," Dean sighed, scrubbing his face with his hand. "I think we should call Cas."

"Why?" Beth demanded. "You heard what he said last time, he won't want to help us."

"Yeah, well, he ain't got much of a choice," Dean replied sharply. "We have questions that need answering and I'll make him answer if I have to."

"It won't work," Beth warned, but Dean shook his head and started for the door. She let out a deep breath, not surprised that he wasn't going to listen to her. "Stupid, stubborn asshole," she grumbled and headed after him.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Beth was still stood behind him, impatiently watching as he continued to yell and order Cas to get his 'feathery ass' down here now. After what seemed like forever, the fluttering of wings filled the air and they both turned to find Cas standing a few feet away, staring at them through emotionless eyes.<p>

"Hey feather brain," Beth greeted teasingly.

"About damn time! I've been screaming myself hoarse for about two and a half hours now," Dean snapped, striding forward to stand beside Beth.

"What do you want?" Castiel asked gruffly, walking slowly forward.

"You can start with what the hell happened in Illinois," Dean responded quickly.

"What do you mean?"

"Cut the crap," Dean snapped, "you were gonna tell me something."

"Nothing of import." Beth scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes as he stared down at her.

"That's a load of crap, it was clearly important if you were dragged back to heaven because of it."

"Beth's right. You got ass-reamed in heaven but it's not of import?" Dean scowled at the blue eyed angel.

"Dean, I can't…" Cas looked behind him, as if he was afraid someone was listening from the shadows. "I'm sorry."

He walked past them, the bottom of his coat brushing against Beth's leg as he moved. They followed him with their eyes, turning slightly to keep him in their sights.

"Get to the reason you really called me. It's about Sam, right?"

"Can he do it?" Dean questioned. "Kill Lilith? Stop the apocalypse?"

"Possibly, yes," Cas replied, his back to them. "But as you know, he'd have to take certain steps."

"Crank up the hell-blood regimen." Dean nodded bitterly.

"Consuming the amount it would take to kill Lilith would change your brother forever," Cas said as he turned to face them. "Most likely, he would become the next creature that you would feel compelled to kill. There is no reason this would have to come to pass, Dean. We believe it's you, Dean. Not your brother. The only question for us is if you're willing to accept it. Stand up and accept your role."

"Hey, hold up," Beth ordered. "No one is accepting anything around here. We can worry about Lilith when Sam is better."

"We don't have time to waste, Bethany." Castiel turned to her. "Killing Lilith is our main priority right now."

"Oh yeah? Well that may be top on your list, but it sure as hell ain't on mine. Sam is more important right now," Beth argued, folding her arms over her chest. "He's suffering and he needs help."

"Beth, just can it for a minute, will ya?" Dean interrupted and she stared at him in disbelief.

"You are the one who will stop it," Cas said suddenly, regaining Dean's attention.

"If I do this," Dean began, clapping a hand over Beth's mouth as she started protesting loudly. "Sammy doesn't have to?"

"If it gives you comfort to see it that way," Cas answered simply.

"God, you're a dick these days," Dean scoffed and moved away from the angel. Beth nodded in agreement after being released by her eldest brother. "Fine, I'm in," he continued after a moment.

"Dean, no-" Beth started, but quickly fell silent as Cas pressed his fingers against her forehead and she slumped into his awaiting arms, completely out cold.

"The hell did you do that for?" Dean demanded as he spun around to see why Beth had stopped talking.

"She was testing my patience," Cas replied as he carefully set her on the trunk of a nearby car.

"Yeah, I get that." Dean nodded in agreement after a moment.

Cas turned back to the matter at hand. "You give yourself over wholly to the service of God and His angels?"

"Yeah, exactly," Dean replied.

"Say it," Cas ordered.

"I give myself over, wholly," Dean glanced back at him, turning around, "to serve God… and you guys."

"You swear to follow His word and His will as swiftly and obediently as you did your own father's?"

"Yes. I swear," Dean answered stiffly. "Now what?"

"Now you wait," Cas explained, "and we call on you when it's time."

With that, Cas disappeared, leaving Dean standing outside in the cold with a knocked out sister beside him and a wary feeling settling in his gut.

* * *

><p>"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you willingly signed up to be the angels' bitch?" Bobby questioned gruffly, sitting on the edge of his desk with his arms crossed. "I'm sorry, you prefer 'sucker'?"<p>

Beth let out a sudden groan from the couch, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal disorientated brown eyes. She sat up abruptly, and immediately let out a whine as the room suddenly spun before her eyes.

"The hell-?" she slurred, pressing a hand against her throbbing hand. "Where's that trench coat wearing asshat? I'm gonna kick his ass."

She blinked up at Dean and Bobby and took in their sour expressions. "Wow. Who died?" Her eyes flickered back and forth between them. "Wait – no one actually died, right?"

"Nope. But Dean-o over there signed up to be the angels' lap dog," Bobby said, sending a taunting look at Dean, who scowled and looked away.

"You did what?" She glanced around wildly. "It was Cas, wasn't it? He talked you into it. Oh, now I'm really gonna kick his ass!"

Bobby shook his head. "After everything you've said about them, now you trust them?"

"Come on, give me a little credit, Bobby," Dean snapped, pushing away from the wall. "I've never trusted them less. I mean, they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan."

"Then why in the hell-?"

"Because what other option do I have?" Dean retorted. "It's either trust the angels or let Sammy trust a demon?"

"I see your point," Bobby said reluctantly.

Beth frowned, but nodded her agreement with Bobby's statement. She turned her head away from Dean, looking towards the stairs to the basement.

"It's awfully quiet down there, isn't it?"

"That's just what I was thinking," Dean agreed.

"That's a little too much nothing," Bobby added and the three of them darted for the stairs, Dean in the lead, followed by Beth and finally Bobby.

Dean yanked the hatch open and they peered in to find Sam convulsing on the floor. Beth felt her eyes grow wide as Sam let out little groans every so often and continued to convulse.

"What if he's faking?" Dean questioned.

"You really think he would?"

"I think he'd do anything," Dean answered.

Beth let out a shriek as Sam's body was suddenly thrown into the wall to their left, his body hitting the iron with a loud bang. Dean's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden move.

"I-I don't think he's faking!" Beth gasped from behind him.

"That ain't faking," Bobby agreed and reached for the handle, tugging it free with Dean's help.

Beth remained behind them as they grabbed Sam's arms and pulled him back towards the bed, pushing him down on it gently.

"Beth, your belt," Bobby said loudly, pinning Sam's arms down, "put it in his mouth, stop him from biting his tongue."

Beth nodded shakily and undid her belt, yanking it free and carefully setting it in Sam's mouth, he bit down on it immediately as he continued shaking.

"We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety," Bobby told them. Dean just stared at his brother, not appearing to have heard Bobby. "Dean? You with me?" Bobby shared a worried glance with Beth. "Dean! Before he has another fit!"

The seemed to snap Dean out of his reverie and he nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get it over with."

"Dean, I can do it," Beth said and gently moved Dean's hands out of the way. He sent her a thankful look and back away quickly, watching as they both grabbed some cloth from the nearby table and wrapped them around Sam's wrists. Beth was silent as she was handed a pair of handcuffs and hooked one of the cuffs around the thick cloth and hooked the other one around the metal bar on the edge of the bed.

She did the same with the foot nearest her and sat back when she was finished, swallowing deeply as she pushed her messy hair from her face.

She was starting to wonder just how much of this supernatural business she could take.

* * *

><p>After leaving the panic room, Beth had left the house with the excuse that she needed fresh air. Dean and Bobby remained in the study, talking quietly amongst themselves as she left the house, not bothering to pick up her jacket or her cell phone.<p>

She had been walking for about five minutes when she finally stopped, glancing around the woods nervously as she realized that she hadn't bothered paying attention to where she was going and had ended up lost.

"Dammit!" she yelled, glaring at the tree in front of her, as though it were the tree's fault. "Son of a bitch!"

"Beth?"

Beth let out a startled yelp, tripping over her feet and landed in a heap on the grass. A smile spread across her face as she stared up at the face of her red headed friend.

"Anna! How nice to see you."

"What are you doing out here? And without a jacket." Anna gave her a scolding look as she pulled the brunette to her feet.

"Getting a jacket wasn't on my list of priorities," Beth explained defensively. "We, uh, we just had to restrain Sam. He was having seizures and he was being thrown around the room and everything… it's not something I wanna experience again. _Ever._"

"He's going through withdrawals," Anna said quietly, "it's not a surprise that's happening."

"You knew? About the blood, I mean."

"I could sense something different about him," Anna agreed carefully, "I just didn't expect him to be doing that."

"You're not the only one," Beth sighed softly. "I just… I don't understand _why _he would do that. Why would he put himself through that?"

"I think that he just thought he was doing what was right," Anna answered lightly as she snapped her fingers and Beth suddenly found herself covered by her brown leather jacket.

"But it's not right, it's so far from _right,_ that he should've _known_ it was wrong."

"I'm not saying I agree with him, but I can understand why he was doing it – he wanted to prove himself to his family, to show them that he was capable of being the strong one for a change."

Beth knew that Anna didn't really believe that, that she thought Sam was disgraceful for putting himself and his family through that and she was just saying it to make Beth feel better and they both knew it, but Beth was surprised at how much it actually helped. She was about to say something in response when Anna suddenly frowned, lifting a hand and pressing it against her head.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"It's Cas – he's summoning me."

"What, now?" Beth asked in disappointment.

"Yes, I have to go."

"Wait! You'll be careful, won't you?"

"Of course I will. I'll see you soon, Beth," Anna gave her a light smile.

"You betcha, red," Beth grinned and waved as Anna disappeared.

Beth eventually found her way back to the salvage yard and decided to climb into the backseat of the Impala, glad that it was still unlocked, and curled into a tight ball, resting her head against the duffel bag she'd left in the car when they'd arrived at Bobby's the other day.

She knew she should let Dean and Bobby know she was okay, but she could face going back into the house and having to listen to Sam scream in agony any more.

* * *

><p>Beth jerked awake to the sound of a gun being cocked and shot up, glancing out of the window to find Bobby pointing a gun at Sam, who was standing in front of an old car a few feet away.<p>

"What the hell is going on?" Beth asked, clambering out of the car.

"Uh uh, Sam," Bobby said, ignoring Beth. "The only place you're going is back inside with me and Beth."

"No," Sam disagreed, staring at them through exhausted hazel eyes. His face was extremely pale, and appeared almost paper thin under the harsh glow of the light of the moon.

"Sam, you're sick. You need to come back inside," Beth said encouragingly. Sam shook his head and Bobby let out a loud sigh.

"Dammit boy."

"You won't shoot me, Bobby." Sam risked a step closer.

"Don't test me," Bobby countered, though it lacked any heat.

"You won't do it." Beth stepped towards Bobby, eyeing Sam warily as he came even closer. The end of the barrel of the gun pressed firmly against Sam's chest. "You can't do it."

"We're trying to help you, Sam," Bobby told him, voice full of emotion.

"What are you doing?" Beth asked, panicked as Sam took a hold of the gun and moved it up to rest over his heart.

"Then shoot." Tears pooled in Sam's eyes as he stared at his surrogate father.

"Bobby!" Beth cried out as Sam yanked the gun from Bobby's hands and roughly hit the older hunter in the face with the butt of the gun. She let out a gasp as Sam suddenly turned on her, grabbing her and covering her mouth as she tried to call out for Dean. "Sam!" she begged, voice muffled by his large hand.

Sam wrapped his other arm around her neck and squeezed tightly, putting a large amount of pressure on her neck. Fearful gasps slipped out and black spots filled her vision as she struggled to stay conscious. Beth dug her fingernails into his arm, kicking and bucking against him as she tried desperately to free herself.

"Just let go, Beth," he encouraged gently, willing her to give in to the darkness. "Just let go."

Beth let out one final breath before falling unconscious for the second time that day. She went completely limp in Sam's arms and he removed his hand from her mouth, releasing her slowly and turning away as she slumped to the ground.

* * *

><p>"Dean, I don't think this is such a good idea," Beth rasped, holding the towel full of ice against her freshly bruised neck. "Sam's dangerous right now."<p>

"I ain't gonna leave him out there, especially not with that bitch," Dean countered, tinkering with the engine of the Impala.

"I know you don't want him near this Ruby, but you need to think about this."

"I have. I'm gonna find him and then I'm gonna kill Ruby," Dean snapped.

"Well… then I'm not gonna let you go alone," Beth said finally.

"Beth, no. You have to stay here with Bobby."

"Dean! I am not letting you go after him alone," Beth answered firmly. "You need help, especially if there's gonna be a demon there."

"…You're not going to give in, are you?"

"Definitely not." Beth shook her head.

"Fine," Dean sighed and went back to working on the engine.

Beth zoned out as Bobby reappeared and began telling them about two cars that had been stolen near where his car had been found in Jamestown, North Dakota.

"C'mon Beth," Dean called as he opened the door to the driver's seat. "Time to go."

"You two be careful, you hear?" Beth nodded and hesitated before hugging Bobby quickly and climbing into the car.

"See ya soon, Bobby."

Dean reversed quickly, stopping to say goodbye to Bobby before peeling out of the salvage yard. Beth settled back in her seat and clasped her hands in her lap to prevent herself from picking at her nails – a nervous habit she'd had since she was a child. She wasn't sure how Sam was gonna react when they finally tracked him down, but after what he'd done, she wasn't surprised at the fear she felt when she thought about him.

* * *

><p>"Wait, are you sure this is it?" Beth grabbed Dean's arm as he stopped in front of a fancy white door.<p>

"Oh yeah, this is it, all right," Dean promised, glaring at the door.

"Remember what Bobby said, we're here to talk to Sam, not to fight," Beth reminded him. Dean scowled, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But if Ruby's there, she's dead."

"Agreed." Beth nodded jerkily.

He proceed to open the door quietly and they both slipped inside. A dark haired woman was standing at the bed, her back to them as she worked on zipping up a duffel bag. A floorboard creaked under Dean's foot and the woman spun around just as Dean lashed out with the knife, cutting her jacket open. She grabbed his arm as he tried to stab her with the knife.

"Beth!" Dean barked at his half-sister, snapping her out of her surprise. She pulled out her own knife and lunged towards the woman, knowing without having to be told that this was Ruby, the one who had gotten Sam addicted to the demon blood in the first place.

"You little bitch!" Ruby hissed as Beth left a long cut across her abdomen. She pulled one arm free long enough to knock Beth away from her before she was shoved up against the pillar in the room and Dean put all his strength into pushing the knife towards her. Ruby let out a muffled moan as she struggled to hold him back.

Dean managed to overpower her and was about to stab her with the demon killing knife when he was grabbed from behind and yanked backwards.

"No!" Sam barked, fighting against his brother. "Let her go!"

Beth's eyes narrowed as Sam defended the black eyed monster, he failed to see Beth and she used his distraction to lunge at Ruby, knocking the other female to the floor and catching Dean's knife mid-air as he threw it to her.

"Get off of me!" Ruby growled.

"I don't think so, you black eyed bitch," Beth returned and pushed all her weight down on the hilt of the knife. She only managed to embed the tip of the knife in Ruby's chest before Sam grabbed the back of her jacket and tossed her backwards. She ended up doing a backwards roll and landing at Dean's feet.

"Just take it easy," Sam ordered as both of his siblings glared at him.

"Well, it must've been some party you two had going," Dean started, helping Beth to her feet, "seeing as you tried so hard to keep us from crashing it. Well, solid try, but here we are."

"Dean, I'm glad you're here," Sam told them after a minute. "Look, let's just talk about this."

"Soon as she's dead, we can talk all you want," Dean replied.

"I second that," Beth added and glared at Ruby.

"Ruby, get out of here," Sam ordered, glancing back at her.

"No. She's not going anywhere."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Beth demanded as Sam stopped her and Dean from going after Ruby.

"She's poison, Sam!"

"It's not what you think," Sam said calmly.

"Look what she did to you!" Dean argued. "She vanishes for weeks at a time and leaves you cracking out for another hit."

"She was looking for Lilith!" Sam shouted back defensively.

"That is French for manipulating your ass 10 ways from Sunday," Dean retorted.

"You're wrong, Dean."

"Sam, you're lying to yourself." Disappointment flashed across Dean's face. "I just want you to be _okay. _You would do the same for me, you know you would."

"Just listen," Sam started, tossing the knife onto the bed. "Just listen for a second. We got a led on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, Dean, Beth. We'll do this together."

"That sounds great," Dean responded and Beth stared at him in disbelief. Didn't he know that Sam meant with him _and _Ruby? "As long as it's just us three. Demon bitch is a deal-breaker." Beth nodded her agreement, siding with Dean without a second thought. "You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now."

"I can't," Sam sighed.

"The hell you can't!" Beth snapped angrily. "It's not that difficult, you stab her with that knife and we can all forget she ever existed."

"It's not that easy, Beth," Sam disagreed. "I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your heads round that, but maybe one day you'll both understand. I'm the _only one _who can do this."

"No. You're not the one who's gonna do this," Dean told him firmly.

"Right. That's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you," Sam said mockingly.

"You don't think I can?"

"No, you can't." Sam answered sharply. "You're not strong enough."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm being practical here," Sam explained. "I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Yeah?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "You're not gonna do a single damn thing."

"Stop bossing me around, Dean!" Sam snapped. Beth glanced between her brothers, wondering what had happened the kind, selfless male she had met after waking up in the hospital back in Windom. Whoever this was standing in front of her, it definitely wasn't the Sam she knew and had grown to care about. "Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots and I trust you because you're my brother. Now, I'm asking you for once, trust _me_."

"No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam," Dean said finally.

"Yes, I do!" Sam argued.

"Then that's worse!" Dean yelled.

"Why?" Sam asked in confusion. "Look, I'm telling you-"

"Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are!" Dean interrupted furiously. "It means…" Dean trailed off.

"What?" Sam demanded, hurt flickering across his face. "No. Say it."

"It means you're a monster," Dean continued reluctantly, as if he couldn't believe that the day would come that he would call his brother that. Sam nodded bitterly, tears springing to his eyes. He suddenly drew his arm back and punched Dean in the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Dean!" Beth darted to his side and helped him up. A look of anger appeared on his face and he shrugged out of her grip, retaliating with a punch of his own, that sent Sam stumbled backwards.

"Stop it!" she cried as they started fighting each other, trading punches. She let out a strangled gasp as Sam threw Dean face-first against the mirror before sending him crashing through one of the white, criss-crossed pillars. The wood broke under Dean's weight and he landed on the coffee table, shattering the wood and the glass immediately. He lay there, dazed as he coughed weakly. Sam was on top of him seconds later, wrapping his hands around Dean's neck. He squeezed with all his might, ignoring Beth as she screamed at him to let go, his gaze was locked firmly on Dean's slowly reddening face. "Sam!" Beth tugged at his shoulder, trying to get him to free Dean.

Sam suddenly back handed her, sending her tumbling across the room where she tripped over the edge of the bed and landed flat on her back near the window. Sam finally released Dean when Beth sat up and began yelling at him again.

"You don't know me," Sam stated lowly as he rose to his feet. "You never did. And you never will."

"You walk out that door, don't you _ever_ come back," Dean wheezed, a hand pressed against his chest. Sam paused at the door, glancing back at them. Without a word, he opened it, still looking back at them.

"You don't know how far you've fallen, Sam," Beth whispered in disappointment. He glanced at her once before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. She hurried to her feet, rushing over to Dean. He clenched his jaw, rolling over onto his side. "I'm so sorry, Dean," she whispered as she knelt beside him. Dean simply squeezed her knee, resting his forehead against her side.

"We've lost him for good."

That was the last thing either of them said before they fell silent, more interested in being quiet and enjoying each other's company than talking about what had just happened or the brother they'd just lost. The brother Dean had practically raised since they were kids and the one Beth had only known for a few weeks, but already cared deeply about.


	10. Lucifer Rising

**_Sioux Falls, South Dakota_**

**_May 13th, 2009_**

Beth had gone straight to her room the moment they'd returned to Bobby's, leaving Dean to tell the older hunter what had gone down between the three siblings.

She refused to talk to them, only leaving her room when she need to eat or get a drink or use the bathroom. She was standing in the kitchen, staring at the small amount of food in the fridge with dull eyes when Bobby suddenly spoke, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Dean?" he repeated, watching the other male in concern. "You listened to word I said?"

"Yeah, I heard you," Dean answered from the window. "I'm not calling him."

Beth turned her attention back to the fridge and closed the door before settling on an apple from the nearby fruit bowl. She bit into it quietly and chewed slowly as she glanced back at her brother and Bobby.

"Don't make me get my gun, boy," Bobby warned.

"We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon. We got bigger fish at the moment," Dean countered, turning around.

"I know you're pissed, and I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your-"

"Blood? He's my blood? Is that what you're gonna say?"

"He's your brother and he's drowning," Bobby corrected. Beth glanced down at her half eaten apple and tossed it in the trash, not feeling hungry all of a sudden.

"Bobby, I tried to help him. I did. Look what happened."

"So try again."

"No. It's too late," Dean sighed as he walked past Bobby.

"There's no such thing."

"No, dammit!" Dean shouted. "No. We just gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got, now it's like déjà vu all over again." He sat down on a nearby chair. "Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do whatever he wants."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do, Bobby."

"You're a selfish asshole, you that?" Beth suddenly demanded, reminding them that she was in the room and they both turned to her. "Do you have _any idea _what I would give to have my brother back? I would do _anything_. And here you are, complaining about Sam, well at least he's still alive! He may have done terrible things, but he's out there right now with that demon bitch and if you don't do _something, _you're gonna lose him, for good. He's gonna run himself into the ground before you get off your ass and save him!"

Dean looked startled at the lecture he'd just received, but before he could respond to her, she turned on her heel and fled up the stairs. Her door slammed shut a few seconds later with a loud bang that echoed throughout the house.

* * *

><p>Beth stared down at the photo in her hands, tears slowly making their way down her face as she stared at the smiling faces of her mom, brother and dad. It was the same photo she'd taken from her house and had lost when Cas zapped her away from the station, it had been left in her brother's truck but had suddenly appeared on her pillow when she entered the room.<p>

"Beth?"

She jumped, surprised at Dean's voice—she hadn't heard him come in. "Dean, what are you doing here?" she sniffed. "Usually when someone storms off and slams their door, it means they don't want to be disturbed."

"Get up," Dean ordered as he stopped in front of her and pulled her to her feet, the photo fell from her hands and landed on a velvet chair behind her.

"What the hell?" She glanced around in shock. She wasn't in her room anymore, instead, she was in a beautiful white room with fancy chairs, a shiny oak dining table and a bunch of paintings strewn about the walls. "Where are we?"

"Hello, Dean." They both spun around to find Cas standing behind them. "Beth."

"Uh, hi?" Beth raised an eyebrow, silently demanding for him to tell them where they were.

"It's almost time," he explained. His arms were hanging awkwardly by his side and he stared at them with an almost pitying look on his face.

"_What?!_"

* * *

><p>Beth scowled from her position on the velvet chair as Dean circled the room once again, running his fingers over the pure white table cloth.<p>

"Will you stop?" she grumbled. "You're making me dizzy with your pacing."

Dean rolled his eyes and walked past her, stopping briefly in front of colourful painting on an angel before turning back to the table, to find Beth sitting on top of it and chewing away at a double bacon cheese burger.

"Where did you get that?" he asked cautiously.

"Dunno… it just appeared on the table." She shrugged and went back to eating.

Dean lifted a bottle of ice cold beer from the bowl full of ice and stared at it silently, unaware that an older, balding man in a suit had appeared just to their right.

"Hello, Dean," the man greeted. Beth let out a startled squeak, swallowing her mouthful as she tipped to the side and fell off of the table, landing at the man's feet. Cas squinted down at her, wondering why she had been sitting on the table in the first place. "You're looking fit."

"Well, how about this," Dean chuckled dryly. He leaned down at pulled Beth to her feet. "The suite life of Zach and Cas."

Beth snorted in amusement and quickly covered her mouth, resorting to clearing her throat and looking away from the angels sheepishly. The two angels shared a mutually confused look before looking back at Dean. Beth looked between the two angels, and came to the conclusion that this 'Zach' must be the angel Zachariah that Dean told her about the other day. From what she could gather, he was just a big a dick as the others.

"It's ah… never mind." Dean glanced away awkwardly. "So what is this? Where the hell are we?"

"Call it a Green room," Zachariah replied, spreading his arms away from his body in a deep shrug. "We're closing in on the grand finale here. Wanna keep you safe, before show time." He plucked a burger from the pile and held it out. "Try a burger, they're your favourite."

"Uh, excuse me," Beth said, gaining Zachariah's attention. "I understand why Dean's here, but why am I?"

"We are under orders to protect you as well," Cas explained in his usual, gravelly tone.

"Why?"

"Because, even though you are the bastard child of John Winchester, you hold some 'semblance of importance to our bosses," Zachariah interrupted, sending her a withering stare. Beth flinched at the use of 'bastard child' and Dean tensed, pulling her slightly behind him.

"Don't call her that," Dean ordered lowly.

"Fine. Fine." Zachariah held his hands up in surrender and went back to offering Dean some woman from some place to amuse him until it was show time.

"Why don't you just tell us the game plan?" Dean demanded.

"Let us worry about that," Zachariah said calmly. "We want you focused, relaxed."

"Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, chuckles," Dean countered.

"All the seals have fallen," Zachariah admitted, walking around Dean and Beth. "Except one."

"That's an impressive score. Right up there with the Washington Generals," Dean said mockingly.

"You think sarcasm's appropriate, do you? Considering you started all this?"

"Wait, what?" Beth turned on Dean on disbelief. "You started the freakin' _apocalypse_?"

"Not now, Beth," Dean hissed. Zachariah smirked smugly.

"But the final seal," he continued, as though Beth hadn't interrupted. "It'll be different." He clapped Dean on the shoulder on his way back towards Castiel.

"Why?" Dean turned with him, watching him through narrowed eyes.

"Lilith has to break it, she's the only one who can. Tomorrow. Midnight."

"Where?"

"We're working on that."

"Well work harder," Dean snapped.

"We'll do our job. You do yours."

"Yeah, and what is that, exactly? I'm the one that stops her. How? With the knife?"

"All in good time."

"Isn't now a good time?"

"Have faith," Zachariah replied.

"What, in you?" Dean raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Give me one good reason why I should."

"Because you swore your obedience," Zachariah reminded him firmly. "So obey."

With that, Zachariah and Castiel disappeared, taking Beth with them and leaving Dean to stare at the empty spot his sister had just been in with worried eyes.

* * *

><p>"What the hell was that?" Beth glanced around wildly, her eyes widening as she realized she was now in a room full of people. "Where am I? Where's Dean?"<p>

"Dean is fine," Cas told her, taking a hold of her elbow and leading her towards the group.

"Why am I here?"

"Because you are meant to be," he answered. A woman with blonde hair stood up and approached them. "Because we were told to bring you here."

"Where is here?" Beth asked, eyeing the blonde warily.

"This is… this is an abandoned bar in New Orleans," Cas answered before turning to the blonde woman. "Rachel."

"Castiel," Rachel greeted politely and turned her sharp blue eyes on Beth. "Bethany Milligan."

"Uh, just Beth actually." Castiel released his hold on her elbow and took a step back.

"I have to go now," he explained at her confused look. "Rachel and the others are going to watch you."

"You mean babysit me?" she retorted bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm 18, I don't need to be watched like I'm a child. It's not like I'm gonna break something or play with something I shouldn't."

"Why would you do that?" Cas tilted his head to the side in his overly-confused way before straightening up. Beth rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him before he disappeared from sight.

"So," she turned to Rachel with a wide smile, "what do you guys like to do for fun around here?"

"…Fun?" Rachel repeated, looking at her with a look similar to 'are you for real?' on her face. "We do not have time for fun. The end of days is coming, there is a lot of preparation to be done still."

"Wow. How boring your lives must be," Beth said in pity, ignoring the part about the upcoming apocalypse. "Well, don't worry. I'm gonna teach you guys how to enjoy yourselves."

Rachel stared after her in confusion as Beth headed past the table full of angels and hoisted herself over the bar, fiddling with something under the counter.

The lights in the bar suddenly dimmed as Beth pressed a few buttons attached to a remote under the cash register. She ignored the curious gazes she was receiving and pulled her phone out, plugging it into an extension cable just behind her and setting her music playlist to shuffle. The intro to 'Fighter' by Christina Aguilera filled the bar.

"Now," Beth started as she rested her hands on the counter and leaned forward, a wide grin spreading across her lips, "do any of you know how to dance?"

* * *

><p>Four hours later, when Castiel reappeared to check on Beth, he was surprised to find his brothers; Daniel, Ezekiel, Samandriel and Hadriel playing a game of poker at their table—it appeared that Ezekiel was winning. What surprised him the most was the sight of his sisters; Rachel, Muriel, Nina and Miniel on top of the bar with a semi-drunk Beth dancing away. His sisters' moves were slightly clumsy as they followed Beth's lead.<p>

"Woo!" Beth cheered raising her arms above her head and swaying from side-to-side. "Nice moves, Mini!" she said loudly to the black haired, green eyed angel as the other female spun around successfully without falling off of the bar.

"What is the meaning of this?" Castiel thundered, his voice freezing them on the spot. Beth let out a short laugh, her cheeks aching from all the smiling she'd done that day.

"Relax, _Caaaas_," she drew his name out with a large grin. "Why don't you join us?"

Castiel snapped his fingers and the music turned off, the lights came back on and the poker chips and playing cards disappeared. Beth let out a loud groan, mumbling about him being a buzz kill as Rachel, Nina, Muriel and Miniel climbed down and stood as straight as they could, their hands clasped tightly behind their backs, the male angels soon followed their example whilst Beth remained standing on the counter.

"You _reaaally_ need to have more fun," she told him, waggling a finger before gulping down the rest of the whisky.

"Beth, you should come down from there before you get hurt."

"What's the worst that could happen?" she retorted, looking down at him. Cas went to pull her down himself when she yanked her leg out his reach. Everything seemed to slow down as Beth wobbled unsteadily on the edge of the bar and fell backwards. She hit the side of her face roughly against the bar stool on her way down and lay on her side, clutching her face in agony.

"Beth?"

The angels crowded around her, not quite sure what they should do to assist her. She let out a pained whimper, turning slowly onto her back and rising into a sitting position. Cas reached out to her, gently peeling her hand from her face. There was a long cut across her cheekbone and the side of her face was already a bright red.

"I can heal you," he said in confusion as she pushed his hand away and shook her head.

"It's only a cut—it won't kill me," she answered reassuringly, slowly starting to come down from her drunken haze. "Oh, I'm gonna have a killer hangover tomorrow," she groaned, rubbing her forehead. She took the offered bundle of tissues from Rachel and pressed them against her bleeding cheek. She sent a cheeky smile up at them, increasing their confusion further. "At least I got you guys to have fun, right?"

"It was fun," Nina—a dirty blonde haired angel with grey eyes—admitted reluctantly, sending a wary glance at Castiel.

"So, why are you here?" Beth asked as she climbed to her feet. "Are you taking me back to Dean?" She looked awfully hopeful, and a strange sensation settled in Cas's gut as he stared at her youthful face.

"I believe that would be best," he replied, "perhaps Dean can keep you from causing any more harm to yourself."

"It was an accident—I didn't deliberately fall off of the bar," she grumbled as she waved goodbye to the angels. Cas was silent as he set his hand on her shoulder. They disappeared from sight immediately afterwards and re-appeared in the Green room.

* * *

><p>"What the hell happened to you?" Dean demanded, cupping her face gently and assessing the bruised side of her face. "What did you do?" he directed at Cas angrily.<p>

"I didn't lay a hand on her, if that's what you're implying," Cas said gruffly. "She somehow managed to encourage a group of my siblings to play poker and dance on top of the bar. She fell off of it in her drunken state."

"You… you got angels to drink and play poker?" Dean asked, amusement lighting up his face. "You've gotta tell me how you did it."

"It wasn't that hard. I'm just _really _convincing... when I want to be, that is."

"That is awesome," Dean chuckled once before turning serious. "Look, I need something," he said to Cas.

"Of course, anything you wish," Cas agreed readily.

"I need you to take me to see Sam."

"Why?"

"There's something I gotta talk to him about."

"What's that?" Cas queried.

"The BM I took this morning, what's it to you?" Dean said sarcastically. "Just make it snappy."

"I don't think that's wise."

"He didn't ask what you thought of it," Beth pointed it. "He asked you to take him to Sam."

"Exactly. I didn't ask for your opinion," Dean added with a frown.

"Have you forgotten what happened the last time you met?" Beth flinched at his cold words and her hands flew up her neck, rubbing her bruised throat gently as she remembered how he strangled her until she was unconscious.

"No," Dean said sharply. "That's the whole point." The room went silent for a moment as Dean and Cas stared at one another and Beth stood awkwardly to the side. "Listen, I'm gonna do whatever you mooks want, okay? I just need to tie up this one thing. Five minutes, that's all I need."

"No," Cas replied. A reluctant expression flickered through his eyes as he stepped backwards. It was clear that he was torn between following his orders and helping them.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Dean asked lowly, a clear warning in his words. "Are you saying that we're trapped here?"

"You can go wherever you want," Cas corrected patiently.

"Super. I wanna go see Sam."

"Except there." Cas stood his ground, obviously not going to budge on the matter.

"I wanna take a walk," Dean returned.

"I'll go with you."

"Alone."

"No," Cas said firmly, his irritation at Dean rising.

"You know what? Screw this noise, I'm outta here." Dean took a hold of Beth's arm and steered her towards the door.

"Through what door?" Cas questioned. They both glanced at him in confusion, wondering what he was going on about. When they turned back around, the door had disappeared, replaced by a wall with a table in front of it holding some lit candles. Cas was gone when Dean spun around to have a go at him.

* * *

><p>"<em>No. No. No,<em>" Beth whined, her face buried in her knees as she rocked back and forth. Her fingers were tangled in her messy mane of hair.

"Beth?" Dean came over and crouched in front of her. "What's wrong?"

"No doors… no windows." She squeezed her eyes shut. It was like she was back in the crypt all over again. The walls seemed to be closing in on her as she struggled against the oncoming panic attack. "I-I can't breathe. I need to get out!"

Dean grasped her arms tightly as she struck out at him, fear clear in her watery brown eyes. He drew her forward until her forehead rested against his shoulder and he stroked her hair gently.

"Hey. _Hey,_ it's okay," he reassured her, holding her tightly as she started shaking softly. "I'm gonna get us both outta here, okay?"

She nodded jerkily, her breaths coming out in quick, deep gasps. Dean rubbed her back soothingly, encouraging her to deep breaths and to calm down. Beth's eyes locked on his and she followed his example hesitantly, breathing deeply through her nose. It seemed to work slowly, her chest eventually felt less tight and she found she could breathe normally again.

"Thank you," she whispered. He nodded in response and stood up, looking around silently. He picked up a heavy metal object and began hitting it against the wall, watching as the wood splintered easily under its weight, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. A frown crossed both of their faces when the wall was suddenly whole again, leaving no sign that it had ever been damaged.

"Quit hurling faeces like a howler monkey, would you?" Zachariah queried in exasperation from behind them. "It's unbecoming."

"Let me outta here," Dean demanded. "Let her outta here."

"Like I told you, too dangerous. Demons on the prowl."

"I've been getting my ass kicked all year, now you're sweating my safety?" Dean demanded in disbelief. "You're _lying. _I wanna see my brother."

"That's ill advised," Zachariah cautioned.

"You know, I am so sick of your crap riddles and your smug, fat face," Dean grumbled. "What the hell is going on, huh? Why can't I see Sam? And how am I gonna ice Lilith?"

"…You're not… going to ice Lilith," Zachariah replied after a moment of silence.

"Uh, what are you talking about?" Beth piped up, staring at the angel in confusion.

"Lilith's gonna break the final seal," Zachariah unveiled the secret they'd been holding back since the beginning and Beth's expressios grew hard, all traces of confusion fading as realization hit her. "_Fait accompli, _at this point. Trains left the station."

He walked away from them and sat down on the white and gold swirl-patterned chaise longue at the other end of the room.

"But, me and Sam—and Beth—we can stop-"

"Dean, they never wanted to stop it… did you?" Beth sent an accusing look at the angel. She couldn't understand why they were doing this, why would they want the apocalypse to happen? Didn't they realize it would roast half the planet—if not all of it—and killing billions of people at the same time?

"Nope. Never did." Zachariah had a smug smile on his face as he took note of Beth's horrified expression. "The end is nigh. The apocalypse is coming, kiddos, to a theatre near you."

"What was all that crap about saving seals?" Dean found himself asking, his eyes stinging at the sensation of tears that he blinked back.

"Grunts on the ground, we couldn't tell them the truth," Zachariah explained, shrugging carelessly, "we'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it – would we really let 65 seals get broken unless senior management wanted it that way?"

"But why?"

"Why not?" Zachariah countered, throwing his hands up. "The apocalypse. Poor name, bad marketing—it puts people off. When all it is, is Ali-Foreman. On a slightly larger scale and we like our chances." His eyes flickered to them. "When our side wins, and we will, it's paradise on Earth, what's not to like about that?"

"What's not to like…?" Beth repeated dumbly, "what about all the innocent people that'll die during your little pissing contest?" she demanded, stealing the words straight from Dean's mouth.

"You can't make an omelette without cracking a few eggs." Zachariah shrugged and stood up, buttoning up his suit jacket. "In this case, a few truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture." He stepped towards them. "Look, it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered."

Dean's eyes flickered to a small, iron statue of an angel playing a trumpet and he was overcome with the urge to hit Zachariah with it.

"No, probably shouldn't try to bash my skull in with that thing," Zachariah warned him. "Wouldn't end up too pleasant for you."

"What about Sam?" Dean asked in defeat, looking away from the statue. "He won't go quietly. He'll stop Lilith."

"…Sam has a part to play," Zachariah explained. "A very important part. He may need a little nudging in the right direction, but I'll make sure he plays it."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked cautiously. Beth walked away from them, running her fingers over the smooth, white table that held the angel statue and stared at it intently, wondering what the odds where that she would be able to grab it and hit the smug bastard that was Zachariah with it. "What are you gonna do to him?"

"Sam, Sam, Sam," Zachariah chanted lowly, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Forget about him would you? You have larger concerns. Why do you think I'm confiding in you, Dean? You're still vital. We weren't lying about your destiny. Just omitted a few pertinent details, but nothing's changed; you are chosen. You will stop it. Just not Lilith or the apocalypse, that's all."

"Which means?"

"Lucifer," Zachariah began, gesturing towards a painting of an angel slaying the devil. "You're going to stop Lucifer. You're our own little Russell Crowe, complete with surly attitude. And when it's over, and when you've won, your rewards will be unimaginable." He looked back towards the painting. "Peace. Happiness." He hit Dean on the back roughly. "Two virgins and 70 sluts."

"Tell me something," Dean ordered as the angel walked away, "where's God in all this?"

"God?" Zachariah repeated. "God has left the building."

"Wait, what's my role in all of this?" Beth demanded as Zachariah prepared to leave. "You keep saying Sam and Dean are important, but why do you need me?"

"Because, when paradise happens, my older brother will need a vessel to walk the earth in… his _true _vessel," Zachariah explained patronisingly.

"What older brother?" she asked, there had to be at least a million or more siblings that he had.

"Raphael."

Zachariah disappeared, leaving Beth and Dean standing there uselessly. Beth's mouth was slightly open in surprise at his answer. There was no way she was the true vessel to one of the archangels… was there?

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Green Room<em>**

**_May 14th.  
><em>**

"Cas!" Beth shot to her feet as the dark haired angel appeared. She and Dean had been trapped in that room for who knows how long and she was starting to go crazy. She wanted to leave, to go outside and get some air. "Have you come to help us or what?"

Cas gave her an apologetic look before turning towards Dean, who was searching for a signal for his phone.

"You can't reach him, Dean," Cas told him. "You're outside your coverage zone."

"What are you gonna do to Sam?"

"Good question." Beth's eyes flickered to Cas as she hoisted herself onto the table and crossed her legs, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Nothing," Cas stated. He walked closer. "He's gonna do it to himself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean snorted as he looked away. "Oh right, right. Gotta toe the company line." He stepped towards Cas, getting into the angel's personal space. "Why are you here, Cas?"

"We've been through much together, you and I," Cas started quietly. "And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this."

"Sorry?" Beth repeated. She shook her head from her perch a few feet away. "You don't know the meaning of that word."

Dean suddenly drew his arm back and punched Cas in the face. The angel's head snapped to the side and Dean's expression screwed up in pain as he shook his hand out. "It's Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than sorry."

"Try to understand, this is long foretold," Cas urged, an almost desperate look in his blue eyes. "This is your-"

"Destiny?" Dean interrupted furiously. "Don't give me that holy crap. Destiny, God's plan… it's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch. It's just a way for your bosses to keep me, and keep you in line."

Cas clenched his jaw, staring at Dean bitterly. Beth rolled her eyes at their little spat and started braiding her hair into a fishtail, side braid. She tied it off with a hair tie when she finished.

"You know what's real?" Dean continued, staring Cas in the eye. "People. Families, that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?"

"What is so worth saving?" Cas demanded, his full attention on the sandy blonde human. "I see _nothing _but _pain_ here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam."

Cas looked away, his jaw still clenched in anger and Dean followed the movement, regaining Cas's eye contact without difficulty.

"You can take your peace, and shove it up your lily-white ass," Dean said firmly. "Because I'll take the pain and the guilt, I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford _bitch_ in paradise. This is simple, Cas. No more crap about being a good soldier, there is a right and there is a wrong here and you know it." He grabbed Cas by the shoulder roughly and spun him around. "Look at me! You know it! Now, you were going to help me once, weren't you? You were gonna warn me about all this before they dragged you back to bible camp. Help me, now. Please."

Beth watched the exchange curiously, trying to decide if Cas was actually going to help them or continue to stand there and make Dean beg for help.

"…What would you have me do?" Cas asked finally, to Beth's surprise.

"Get me to Sam, we can stop this before it's too late."

"I do that, we will all be hunted," Cas argued, turning to meet Dean's eyes. "We will _all_ be killed."

"Then it'll be worth it," Beth interrupted from her seat on the table. "If us dying to stop the apocalypse is what it takes, then so be it. We'll be saving _billions _of lives in the long run."

Castiel stared at her for a moment, assessing her quietly. The girl he'd been told to watch numerous times throughout her life had changed completely. She was still a coward, deep down, but she knew the difference between right and wrong and she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in, even if it meant standing alone. Her bravery overtaking her fear in difficult situations was something he would unwillingly admit that he found_ intriguing, admirable,_ even. He shook his head and had to look away as disappointment spread across her face.

"You _spineless, soulless_ son of a bitch," Dean insulted in irritation, glaring at the angel. "What do you care about dying? You're already dead. We're _done._"

"Dean-" Cas started.

"We're done," Dean repeated, interrupting him.

"You know, I expected more… I expected _better_ from you so called _angels,_" Beth scowled as he turned to look at her. "You heard my brother—we're done with you."

* * *

><p>"This is ridiculous!" Beth yelled, glaring at the ridiculously white ceiling. "How long are you bastards gonna keep us here?"<p>

"You can yell as much as you like, they won't answer," Dean chuckled dryly as he picked up a burger. He was about to take a bite out of it when he was suddenly yanked backwards by the back of his coat and the burger slipped from his grasp.

"Cas, what the hell are you doing?" Beth watched in fear as he threw her brother against the wall and covered his mouth.

Cas pulled the demon killing knife from the waistband of his slacks and stared at Dean, conveying with his eyes that the hunter needed to stay quiet. Dean nodded once and Beth quickly caught on as the angel released Dean. He pulled his sleeves up and cut his arm open, using the blood that poured out of it to start drawing some sort of symbol on the wall.

"Castiel," Zachariah said sharply, and Beth spun around to look at him. Cas went back to drawing on the wall. "Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?"

Castiel finished the symbol and slammed his hand down on it. Zachariah let out a shout of pain before he disappeared in a flash of bright light.

"He won't be gone long," Cas told them urgently. "We have to find Sam, now."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. But I know who does," Cas replied, handing the knife to Dean. "We have to stop him, Dean. From killing Lilith."

"But Lilith's gonna break the final seal," Dean argued.

"Lilith _is _the final seal," Cas admitted gruffly. "She dies, the end begins."

Beth's mouth dropped open as she stared at him, not believing what she was hearing. If that was case, and Lilith _was _the final seal, then they needed to find Sam and stop him before it was too late.

* * *

><p>After being zapped from the Green room, Beth found herself standing in between Cas and Dean in an incredibly messy living room. A man was pacing back and forth in front of his computer, and he appeared to be in the middle of a very, <em>personal <em>phone call.

He turned around and gaped at them, his eyes wide in surprise. Beth waved once, fighting an amused grin as he glanced at her nervously.

"W-wait. This isn't supposed to happen," the man stuttered. He went back to his phone call, "no, lady, this is definitely supposed to happen, but I just gotta call you back." He hung up and his arm dangled by his side as he watched them closely. He soon gestured them closer and slid a pile of paper over to Dean.

"St. Mary's? What is that, a convent?" Dean asked, glancing up from the paper he was looking at.

"Yeah," Chuck nodded. "But you guys aren't supposed to be there, you're not in this story."

"Yeah, well. We're making it up as we go along," Cas explained. Beth sent a proud look in his direction, grinning as he glanced at her.

A sudden ringing filled the air and Chuck's computer screen flickered twice. Chuck looked towards the window as a bright light shone through it.

"Oh man, not again," he complained.

Beth's eyes were drawn to the light, even as Dean tried to force her head away. She couldn't understand why Dean was telling her not to look, that it would burn her eyes out. The light didn't seem to be affecting her at all, nor was the ringing as it slowly died down and a voice replaced it.

"_Bethany Milligan,_" the voice said. "_I should've known you would be with them._"

"What?" she asked in response, squinting as the light took on a form that had about 600 wings or more and towered over her, "why wouldn't I be with them?"

"_You need to leave. Now,_" the voice warned. Dean was trying desperately to get her attention, but her gaze was locked on the figure. "_I will not tell you again._"

"It's the archangel!" She vaguely heard Cas call from beside her. "I'll hold him off. I'll hold them all off. Just stop Sam."

He pressed his fingers against their heads and Beth got one, last good look at Cas and his slightly fearful expression before they were sent away from Chuck's house and into the dusty hallway of St. Mary's Convent.

* * *

><p>Just up ahead, Sam was standing over a woman who could only be Lilith, with strawberry blonde hair. Ruby glanced back over her shoulder at them, and smirked sinisterly at them, raising one hand and closing the doors with her powers.<p>

"Sam!" Dean called, banging on the doors as screams filled the air. "Sam!"

"Sam," Beth joined in, tugging uselessly at the door, "you don't have to do this!"

They could both faintly hear Ruby yelling at Sam, telling him to 'do it now' and 'what are you waiting for?' and then a loud, sarcastic laugh sounded from inside the room as they continued banging on the door.

"Dean, when we get in there, Ruby's mine," she said, glancing at him. He had no choice but to nod at the fierce look on his half-sister's face.

Dean picked up a nearby candle holder and began ramming the bottom of it into the door. Beth bit her nail nervously, the lack of screaming was clearly a bad sign. It clearly meant that they were too late—Sam had killed Lilith and now the end was coming.

Dean finally got the door open and they both rushed in, Ruby stood up and turned to face them, a smug grin on her face.

"You're too late."

"I don't care," Dean growled and handed the knife to Beth, who smirked cruelly.

"I've been waiting for this since I first found out about you," she told Ruby calmly. Sam grabbed Ruby from behind, pinning her arms down and giving Beth the perfect opportunity to plunge the knife into Ruby's heart. She twisted it ruthlessly and felt a sick sense of satisfaction as Ruby's skeleton flickered, and she gasped out of pain. Beth yanked the knife out and handed it to Dean as Sam let Ruby's body fall to the floor.

"I'm sorry," Sam told them, voice full of guilt and sorrow.

"We don't have time for that now," Beth said and pointed towards where the circle of blood joined together and a beacon of burning white light burst out of it. Beth cried out, stumbling backwards as she covered her eyes desperately, trying to blink the white and black spots from her vision.

"Sammy, let's go." Dean grabbed Sam's arm and reached out, pulling Beth to him.

"Dean," Sam breathed, "he's coming."


End file.
